


Destinies and Destinations

by praypals



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn, and maybe a little bit for Jack and Geoff, it's all for a reason though I promise, only slow burn for Michael and Gavin though, there are way too many important characters in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:34:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23324065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/praypals/pseuds/praypals
Summary: Magic wasn't real. It couldn't be. It just wasn't possible.At least, that's what the two friends Jeremy and Michael thought. However, when Jeremy starts having strange dreams and meets a mysterious criminal, and Michael meets a friendly man that seems oddly startled and confused when told 'no', their world and everything they thought they knew is flipped upside down.
Relationships: Gavin Free/Michael Jones, Jack Pattillo/Geoff Ramsey, Jeremy Dooley/Ryan Haywood, Trevor Collins/Barbara Dunkelman
Comments: 19
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

_Mendax_.

Jeremy shot straight up in his bed, panting heavily and dripping with sweat. His head was throbbing painfully. It was that word again, interrupting his dreams for what felt like the billionth night in a row.

_Mendax._

It wouldn’t stop echoing in his mind. What the fuck did it mean, anyway? It definitely wasn’t any word Jeremy had ever heard before, yet it haunted him every night.

_Mendax._

_Mendax._

_Mendax._

Groaning, Jeremy massaged his temples to try and calm the headache that was very slowly starting to fade away. After a minute or two, he threw his legs over the side of his bed and stood up to head toward the bathroom. He flicked the bathroom light on and winced as the brightness hit his eyes and made his head start throbbing again. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he leaned over the sink to splash cold water in his face several times. After turning off the sink, he glanced up at the mirror and frowned at his appearance. He had bags under his eyes and his normally well-kept green hair was instead looking rather unkempt as it was getting far too long and was in dire need of being redyed. He looked like he hadn’t slept or been out of his apartment in days, and both of which were unfortunately quite close to the truth.

Jeremy exited the bathroom, trying to shake all the anxious and stressed thoughts from his mind. He sat back down on his bed and picked up his phone, debating whether or not he should call someone so early in the morning. After deciding he might as well just do it, he dialed the number of his only friend.

“What the fuck do you want, man? It’s four in the fucking morning, you asshole,” came the tired and annoyed voice from the other end.

“Sorry, Michael, I just can’t sleep,” Jeremy murmured, too exhausted to get very defensive.

He heard a sigh from his friend through the phone.

“Really, Jeremy? As much as I just want to go back to sleep, I know there’s no way that’s the only reason you called, so what's up?"

“Honestly, I haven’t been able to sleep for almost a week now. Maybe more. I keep hearing some word over and over again and then waking up in a cold sweat. I don’t even know what the fuck the word means. Or maybe it’s not even a word, for all I know it could be some weird name or just some random gibberish,” Jeremy admitted.

"Okay then," his friend said, "what's the word?"

"Mendax," Jeremy answered, wincing as he said it out loud for the first time.

“Weird. Have you tried looking it up?” Michael suggested.

“Er, well, no,” Jeremy muttered, frowning.

“Dumbass,” Michael sighed, “next time you think about calling me at 4AM, try to use your brain first.”

Before Jeremy could respond, Michael had ended the call. Jeremy groaned as he pulled up Google and typed ‘mendax’ into the search bar. He clicked the first link that he saw, which lead to the Wikipedia disambiguation page for the word. The first thing that was listed was ‘a genus of very small sea snails’, and the second was the founder of WikiLeaks, who had apparently used the word as a handle while he was a hacker. Figuring sea snails and hackers had nothing to do with this, Jeremy clicked back to the search page, then clicked the Wiktionary link and began to read.

_Deceitful, lying, deceptive, untruthful, false, mendacious, feigned, not real._

He frowned. It was a Latin adjective that he was sure he had never heard before. Growing more curious, he scrolled further down the page to also read the definition for the word as a noun.

_Liar._

Was this what his brain was trying to tell him? That he was a liar? He already knew that, though. Was this perhaps some form of subconscious guilt eating away at him while he slept? He knew he was a pathological liar, but he had never felt guilty about it before. It was basically a way of life for him; it was just a part of him that he had never bothered trying to change.

Jeremy’s mind was now running wildly in confusion. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep now, he decided to throw on some clothes and headed outside to take a walk.

The night was quiet and peaceful, and it gave Jeremy time to gather his thoughts. It was true that there had been times he regretted lying so much, especially considering the consequences it sometimes had. He was a very good liar, but he had trouble keeping friends because of the lack of trust they would build after finding out. He was also extremely good at figuring out when other people lied, and many people disliked him for it due to how hypocritical it seemed. He never felt guilt, though.

“Hey, kid, what are you doing out so late?”

Jeremy jumped as a voice spoke up behind him. He had been so consumed in his own thoughts while he walked absentmindedly, he hadn’t noticed as he walked by another man who was almost hiding in the shadows. He turned to face the voice and found a tall man dressed in dark clothes, leaning against the wall of a building with his arms crossed.

“Early, actually. The sun is closer to rising than setting,” Jeremy replied, a somewhat bored tone in his voice.

The other man laughed and pushed himself off the wall, then took a few steps closer to Jeremy, getting close enough so that Jeremy could see the black and white skull-like paint on the man’s face. He was a good deal taller than Jeremy, and it was almost intimidating. The man reached out a hand and gently took Jeremy’s chin, lifting it so that he could study his face better.

“Funny _and_ cute, I see, and definitely not a kid. Although, the height could've fooled me,” he remarked, smirking as Jeremy cleared his throat in embarrassment, then repeated, “what are you doing out so late?”

“I needed some fresh air to clear my head,” Jeremy answered honestly, unsure why he felt so inclined to tell the truth to this man. “What’s with the spooky face paint? Going to rob a carnival or something?”

The man scoffed and dropped his hand, crossing his arms once again.

“Are you just acting stupid or do you really not recognize me?”

Jeremy shrugged and shook his head. The man tilted his own head in curiosity and took another step toward the shorter man.

“Funny, cute, and dumb,” he said, then smiled and held out his hand. “I’m The Vagabond.”

Jeremy’s breath caught and he felt his entire body freeze after the man spoke. He had heard that name before. It belonged to a mysterious and cruel criminal who had stolen large amounts of money and was suspected of several murders. He never stayed in one place for long, and no one ever knew where he was going to strike next. As stupid as it seemed, the only thing Jeremy could think to do next was to shake the man’s hand. So he did.

“Are you not scared?” The Vagabond asked curiously after dropping his hand.

Jeremy hesitated, trying to think fast, then replied,

“Should I be?”

The Vagabond grinned.

“Not unless you anger me,” he answered.

“Then no, I’m not scared,” Jeremy concluded, his shoulders relaxing.

“You believe me?” The Vagabond asked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Jeremy said casually, shrugging his shoulders.

“Just like that?” The Vagabond pressed.

“Just like that,” Jeremy confirmed. “You don’t seem like you’re lying, and either way, what do I have to lose?”

“Your money, all your belongings, your life,” The Vagabond listed.

Jeremy shrugged again.

“I think if you were going to hurt me or steal something from me you would do it whether I trusted you or not. Besides, the most important thing I have on me right now is my phone, and I only ever use it to contact one person, so it wouldn’t be that big a deal.”

The Vagabond stared at him in wonder and his eyes softened out of the guarded expression they usually held. He crossed his arms and shook his head in disbelief at Jeremy’s calmness. A strange expression passed over his face.

“You’re…” he trailed off, shaking his head again.

Jeremy raised his eyebrows.

“I’m what? Different? People have been saying that my whole life. Tell me something I don’t know,” he scoffed.

The Vagabond chucked in an almost strangely fond way.

“Being different isn’t a bad thing, you know. I like people that are different. It’s been a long time since someone hasn’t been terrified of me.”

“Well, to be fair, you are a criminal,” Jeremy pointed out casually.

“That, though,” The Vagabond grinned, “that’s what makes you different. Anyone else would have tried to run or fight me or call the police or something like that when I held out my hand for a handshake. But instead, you actually shook it. Why?”

“I couldn’t think of anything else to do, I suppose. Besides, I always trust my gut, and my gut told me you were telling the truth,” Jeremy answered honestly.

“What if I said I would kill you right now?” The Vagabond said, raising his eyebrows.

“You’d be lying,” Jeremy replied confidently.

The Vagabond let out a curious hum, then perked up as a thought seemed to hit him.

“You down for a bit of an adventure?”

“I suppose, why?” Jeremy responded with a curious expression.

“Come with me, then,” The Vagabond said, holding his hand out toward Jeremy, then added, “I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Jeremy hesitated for a moment, then nodded and took The Vagabond’s hand with a slight smile. Every part of his brain was telling him that it was a bad idea to go somewhere alone with a criminal, yet he felt no fear as this criminal gently pulled him along. He let himself be led to a motorcycle where The Vagabond let go of his hand to get on the bike. Sensing Jeremy’s hesitation, The Vagabond offered a smile and motioned for Jeremy to sit behind him. Considering he had gotten this far already, Jeremy sat down and wrapped his arms tightly around the criminal sitting in front of him.

They took off into the night, flying down the freeway. Jeremy grinned as he felt the cool wind whip through his hair, cutting through the heat of the summer night. After a while, The Vagabond took a sharp turn off the road toward a foresty area and Jeremy quickly gripped the criminal’s jacket a bit tighter, causing him to laugh a bit. He rolled to a stop and hopped off the motorcycle, then took Jeremy’s hand to help him off.

“Where are we going?” Jeremy asked, starting to wonder if he should be more concerned than he currently was.

“It’s an adventure,” The Vagabond chuckled, “you’ll see when we get there. Trust me.”

Jeremy nodded and followed The Vagabond along a path into the forest. The forest was dark and would generally be rather spooky, but Jeremy never felt very scared of anything and strangely felt even safer around the criminal. They walked along the path for several minutes until The Vagabond took a turn off of it to go deeper into the forest. They began to move uphill for a while until The Vagabond suddenly stopped and held his arm out to block Jeremy from moving forward any more.

Jeremy gasped as he took in the view before him. Directly in front of them was a steep drop, and about ten or so feet below it was a rather deep looking pond. Right, that was something Jeremy had almost forgotten he was afraid of. Heights. He turned to look at The Vagabond, who was smiling again as he pulled off his jacket.

“You can swim, right?” The Vagabond asked as he threw the jacket on the ground.

“Well, yeah, but-” Jeremy tried to speak, but was interrupted by the latter saying,

“Do you trust me?”

“This is insane. Are you sure this is safe?” Jeremy asked quickly, sounding almost panicked now.

“I promise it’s safe, I’ve done this before,” The Vagabond reassured him, then repeated, “do you trust me?”

“I…” Jeremy looked out over the pond, doubt filling his face, then sighed and nodded resolutely. “I do. I trust you. I have no fucking idea why I do right now, but I trust you.”

The Vagabond grinned as he tugged his shirt over his head, then gave a wink before kicking off his shoes and unbuckling his pants and pulling them off. Jeremy followed suit by stripping down to his underwear, feeling thankful it was too dark for the criminal to see his flushed face. The Vagabond then took Jeremy’s hand and led him to the edge, studying his face to make sure he was actually up for it.

“This has got to be the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” Jeremy said nervously, willing his voice not to shake.

“It’s nothing close to the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” The Vagabond chuckled in return, then his voice got serious as he added, “there are a few things you should know, though. When you jump into the water, don’t try to go in head first, don’t flail, and don’t panic. This really isn’t that high, so unless you’re pretty stupid about it then you won’t get hurt.”

“Got it,” Jeremy muttered, “don’t be stupid.”

The Vagabond nodded and gave him a comforting smile, then started to count down.

“Three… Two… One…”

They both jumped, holding each other’s hands tightly. They hit the water below and their hands automatically pulled apart, but they resurfaced rather quickly, both grinning wildly. The Vagabond’s face paint was starting to drip off, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Jeremy started laughing from the adrenaline that was now coursing through his body, causing The Vagabond to laugh back, and soon the two men were both consumed with uncontrollable laughter.

“How did you even find this place?” Jeremy asked breathlessly when the laughter finally died down.

“Well, since I can’t stay anywhere for long, I try to make the most of everywhere I go by finding things that make every place memorable or special in some way,” The Vagabond explained.

“Why can’t you stay anywhere?” Jeremy questioned.

“Well, first of all, I’m a criminal, so the longer I stay somewhere the more likely I’ll be caught. Mostly, though, it’s because of something you probably wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

The Vagabond smiled sadly and shook his head, then ducked down under the water again as Jeremy frowned. He came back up and wiped the rest of the paint of his face, then swam a bit closer to Jeremy and grabbed his hand again to lead him toward a shallower area so that they could stand on the bottom of the pond instead of continuing to tread water.

“I doubt you would believe me. Trust me,” he said, dropping Jeremy’s hand.

“Am I the first person to see your face without the face paint? And don’t you usually wear a mask?” Jeremy asked tentatively.

The Vagabond nodded.

“There isn’t a single other person alive that has seen my face while knowing that I’m The Vagabond. No one has ever even gotten close,” he admitted.

“So…” Jeremy chewed his lip nervously, “if no one has seen your face before, then why can’t you just get rid of the mask and the face paint and cut your hair and just live a normal life as a normal person? I doubt anyone would suspect you. Why did you become a criminal, anyway?”

The Vagabond breathed a deep sigh and shook his head.

“It’s not that simple. I literally can’t stay anywhere. I won’t say why, because you’ll think I’m crazy, but it’s the reason I’m called The Vagabond. Also, I only steal money to stay alive because I never stay anywhere long enough to get a job, the only people I steal from are rich assholes, and I’ve only ever killed anyone as self-defense.”

“You’re… Telling the truth,” Jeremy realized, his voice quiet and curious.

“For some reason, it seems like it would be hard to lie to you,” The Vagabond admitted.

“What’s your name?” Jeremy asked hesitantly.

After a moment’s hesitation, The Vagabond sighed again and said,

“Ryan. My name is Ryan. What’s yours?”

Jeremy smiled softly.

“Mine is Jeremy,” he answered, then let out a laugh and added, “I must admit, you’re a lot different than I imagined. Of course, I didn’t expect to ever meet you, but I did expect you to be some cold-blooded merciless asshole who would kill me on the spot.”

“I don’t really want to be a criminal,” Ryan admitted, “but I don’t really have a choice.”

“I suppose I kinda understand,” Jeremy replied.

Ryan suddenly grinned deviously and moved closer to Jeremy.

“Wanna do something crazy?”

“Even crazier than what we just did?” Jeremy said, raising his eyebrows.

Ryan nodded and moved even closer so that their bodies were almost touching. Jeremy’s breath caught as he began to realize what the latter had in mind.

“Probably the craziest thing you’ve ever done,” Ryan said with a smirk and a wink.

He leaned his face closer to Jeremy’s, moving slowly to give Jeremy time to move away if he wanted to. Jeremy didn’t move away, though, so Ryan wrapped an arm around his waist as he pulled him in to kiss him fiercely. Jeremy deepened the kiss immediately, seeming almost desperate as he pressed himself against Ryan. Ryan slid his hand down to grab Jeremy’s ass, causing him to moan into the kiss and dig his nails into Ryan’s back. Ryan grunted and slid his tongue into Jeremy’s mouth, smirking a bit as Jeremy moaned again. When they pulled apart, they were both gasping for air and their faces were flushed.

“You’re shivering,” Ryan commented, moving his hand to touch Jeremy’s arm gently.

“I’m not sure if it’s because I’m cold or because of adrenaline,” Jeremy laughed breathlessly, then added, “as hot as that was, the water does make the air seem a lot chillier, though.”

Ryan smiled and pressed another kiss to Jeremy’s lips before pulling him out of the water and leading him back to where they had discarded their clothes. They shook some of the water off their bodies and got redressed, then Ryan touched Jeremy’s hand and studied his face for a moment.

“You’re still shivering,” he pointed out, then took his jacket back off and handed it to Jeremy.

Jeremy hesitated, then took it and slipped it on. It was surprisingly comfortable and smelled fresh and woodsy and comforting. He looked up at Ryan to find him staring back, a fond expression on his face. Jeremy quickly pulled him into another kiss, then stepped back with a frown.

“You can’t stay,” he realized quietly.

Ryan smiled softly and nodded but didn’t respond, his eyes sad.

The two quietly walked hand-in-hand back to Ryan’s motorcycle. The sun was just starting to rise, but Jeremy almost wished it wouldn’t so the night could last longer. Before getting on the motorcycle, Ryan kissed Jeremy once more, then bit the shorter man’s lower lip suddenly, causing him to let out a small gasp. They pulled apart and stopped to just look at each other for a few moments, then got back on the motorcycle. Jeremy took his position behind Ryan, holding him even tighter than before and leaning his head against the criminal’s back. He could barely think of him as a criminal now, though, even as he wore The Vagabond’s signature jacket.

“Where do you want me to drop you off?” Ryan asked, turning to look behind him.

Jeremy told him his address and they took off once again, racing the sun as it slowly rose above the horizon, bathing them in an orangey-pink light. They arrived back at Jeremy’s apartment complex and Jeremy unwillingly hopped off the motorcycle, hesitant to walk away.

“Your jacket,” he realized out loud, then went to pull it off.

Ryan immediately held out a hand to stop him.

“Keep it,” he said quickly, “so I’ll have a reason to see you again. Probably don’t wear it in public again, though. It’s sort of a ‘Vagabond’ thing.”

Jeremy smiled softly and nodded, then gave Ryan a tight hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I didn’t know how much I needed to do something like that. It was definitely the most insane thing I’ve ever even considered doing, but I’ve never felt that free in my entire life. Thank you.”

He pulled out of the hug, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. In the light that was now almost fully illuminating their faces, Jeremy felt his heart seize as he fully took in Ryan’s attractive features and noticed his eyes were a lovely blue color. Ryan smiled and shook his head.

“No, Jeremy, I should be the one saying thank you. I’ve never met anyone like you, and in just a couple hours you gave me a whole new perspective. And, even though I can’t stay, I promise I’ll come back. I promise we’ll see each other again.”

“That last part was a lie,” Jeremy immediately pointed out with a frown.

Ryan sighed and looked away.

“Right, I guess it is hard to lie to you,” he muttered, then gave Jeremy a tired smile and said, “I can’t promise I’ll be back. I can promise I’ll try, though. I’ll keep trying as hard as I can even if it ends up killing me.”

He said it with such honesty that Jeremy felt like his heart had shattered. The shorter man gave a small nod, then choked out,

“I guess this is goodbye, then. For now, at least.”

Ryan hesitated, then gave a nod.

“Goodbye, Jeremy,” he said quietly.

“Goodbye, Ryan,” Jeremy replied with a sad smile.

Ryan smiled weakly in return, then turned away and started his motorcycle back up, speeding out of sight. Jeremy took a shaky breath before turning to walk back into his apartment building. When he reached his door, he froze as he saw a note taped to it. Written on the note was one single word that chilled him down to the bone.

_Mendax._


	2. Chapter 2

During the same night, around 9PM, a tall, dark-haired man backed into his closet and closed the door, breathing hard. His body was trembling in fear, causing his hands to shake as he lifted his phone and struggled to quickly pull up his contacts to make a call.

“Please pick up, please pick up,” he muttered quietly to himself, eyes darting around nervously in the dark.

The call immediately went to voicemail and the man swore, starting to panic. He typed another number in as fast as he could, praying silently as he hit the call button.

“Hey, Trevor, what’s up?” came the response.

Trevor breathed a shaky sigh of relief as he heard the voice of the man on the other side of the call.

“Matt, listen closely. I don’t have much time. They took the journal,” he replied, speaking as quickly as he could.

“The journal? Wait, what’s going on? Who took it? Where are you? Why is your voice shaking so much?” Matt asked in a concerned voice.

“Just listen, okay? I’m hiding at my house right now. Someone took the journal and I don’t know how or when. I think they figured out they can’t read it, though, because they’ve come back for me.”

“Who? Do I need to c-”

“ _Shut up,_ ” Trevor hissed. “I don’t know if I’ll make it out of this alive, s no matter what it takes, you need to warn that man about what’s coming as soon as possible.”

“I’ve been trying! You know he won’t believe me if I just go to him and warn him!” Matt argued.

“Then make _him_ come to _you_ , Matt. You have to do this. It’s life or death.”

Before Matt could respond, he heard Trevor swear and then the line was cut off suddenly. A panicked feeling rising in his chest, Matt tried to call back twice, but the number went straight to voicemail both times.

_What kind of shit have you gotten yourself into now, Trevor?_

When Trevor regained consciousness about an hour later, he found himself in a building he didn’t recognize. He tried to move his hands, but quickly realized his wrists were tied together with a zip tie. He rolled his eyes and struggled into a sitting position, wincing as he became aware of the painful throbbing in his head. He glanced around and noticed he seemed to be alone, so he quickly spread his elbows and jerked his wrists toward his stomach, breaking the zip tie. Using his now free hands to balance himself, he slowly stood up, trying not to lose his balance as a wave of dizziness hit him and made his head throb even more.

“I see you’ve already freed yourself,” came a voice from across the room.

“F-fuck you,” Trevor stammered in response, holding a hand up to his head as it continued to ache.

“Fuck me? Oh, I’m sure you’d love to if you got to know me,” the person said with a grin as they approached him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Trevor pushed the person away immediately, causing himself to stumble backwards and almost fall to the ground, but the person moved quickly to smoothly pull him back to his feet and steady him. They shook their head and gave a small sigh before taking Trevor’s hand and trying to guide him out of the room.

“You’re insane if you think I’m just going to follow you,” Trevor snapped, yanking his hand away.

He glared at the person, managing to focus on their face as they turned to look at him. It was an attractive man with dark, wavy hair and a kind smile. The man then tilted his head curiously and placed his hand on Trevor’s cheek, causing an odd feeling to rise in Trevor’s chest.

“Are you sure about that?” the man cooed, giving him a wink.

“I-I…” Trevor stammered, suddenly unable to find words.

The man chuckled fondly and slid his hand back down to Trevor’s, grabbing it gently and pulling him along. Trevor followed in a confused daze, feeling strangely unable to control himself. They walked into a larger room, where several other people were gathered. Among them was a young woman who was being restrained with her hands tied in front of her. She looked like she had been crying, and upon seeing her Trevor immediately snapped out of his daze. He jerked away from the handsome man and stumbled backwards into another man, who caught him and spun him around. Trevor winced as his vision focused on the man, who was a bit shorter than him but appeared to be extremely muscular.

“Reveal it,” the man demanded, holding out the journal that had been stolen from Trevor.

“Why should I?” Trevor spat in response.

The man let out a laugh, sounding genuinely amused.

“Is that even a real question? I could kill you in an instant.”

“And lose all of my precious knowledge? I’m too valuable for you to kill me,” Trevor hissed, glaring at the man and breathing heavily.

The man responded by wrapping a hand tightly around Trevor’s neck and lifting him off the ground just slightly. Trevor choked and gasped for air as he noticed the man’s eyes were beginning to glow red. The man smirked at the fear in Trevor’s eyes and dropped him, laughing as he crumpled to the ground, coughing.

“I can do whatever I want to you. If you reveal the page, however, I’ll let you go.”

Trevor nodded weakly, trembling, and took the journal from the man’s hand. He flipped open to a page near the end and placed his hand on it, muttering an incantation under his breath. When he removed his hand, the page was filled with what appeared to be some type of a poem.

“Read it,” the man ordered.

Trevor took a deep, shaky breath, and began to read from the page.

“ _Mendāx somniābit, su_ -”

“In English!” the man bellowed angrily.

“I would, sir, but I can’t understand Latin,” Trevor muttered, starting to stand up.

“You- what kind of scholaris- how-” the man sputtered, then kicked Trevor back to the ground and shouted, “KILL HIM! AND KILL THE GIRL, TOO!”

“Wait, you idiot!” a woman yelled as she ran up to stop the man.

The man spun on her immediately, looking furious.

“What did you just call me?” he spat.

“You heard me, I called you an idiot. I told you, I brought the girl here for a reason. Ask her what she can do,” the woman said, rolling her eyes.

“Are you fucking serious? I trusted you, Lindsay! I thought we were on the same side!” the girl that was tied up yelled angrily.

“I work for nobody but myself, baby,” the woman, apparently named Lindsay, replied with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well, Miss Nova?” the man said, turning to look at the other girl. “Why did Lindsay bring you here? What can you do that’s useful enough to keep you alive right now?”

“I’m a lector, I can read any language,” the girl muttered.

“Attagirl, Fiona.” Lindsay grinned.

The man swooped down to snatch the journal from Trevor’s grasp, thrusting it toward the lector. Fiona took a deep breath and glanced at Lindsay, frowning. Lindsay winked at her and gave her a knowing smile, and Fiona narrowed her eyes and muttered something under her breath before starting to read from the journal held awkwardly in her hands that were still bound together.

“A liar will dream, he will learn his identity.

A fighter will rise, he will protect the gold.

A wanderer will travel, he will find a home.

Many friends will gather, they will assemble an army.

They will fight the killer, but before they win,

A traitor will reveal himself, and he will betray his lover.

He will take the crown, and declare himself the king.”

The room was silent as she finished reading. The muscular man hesitated, then grinned and rubbed his hands together. Trevor scrambled to his feet and rushed over to Fiona, snatching the journal and reading it over while frowning. He quickly started to speak, but Fiona shot him a meaningful look and he shut his mouth just as fast as he had opened it. He then turned to the other man, looking defiant.

“You know you can’t change a prophecy. I saw your eyes, I know you’re the killer. The _interfector_. You may literally be a demon, but it clearly says someone else will defeat you and be crowned the king.”

“Foolish scholaris, it doesn’t say I will be defeated. It says a traitor, a proditor, if you will, will declare himself the king. And it seems to me like the traitor could very easily come from the opposite side. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything goes exactly according to the prophecy. Also, I’m not ‘literally a demon’, I’m just… Demon-like.”

The killer laughed after he spoke, and the man that had brought Trevor in laughed with him. Lindsay just rolled her eyes and Fiona looked furious as she struggled to get out of her bonds.

“You’re wrong, you’ll never succeed with this!” Trevor yelled.

“Ah, but you see,” the killer said with a devilish grin as he turned to look in another direction, “I basically already have. Isn’t that right, _proditor_?”

A man, who had previously been hidden in the shadows, stepped out. Trevor shuddered as he looked at the man, who was wearing dark clothes and a mask covering his full face. Everything about the man seemed to chill him down to the bone.

“Are you kidding me? No one is going to trust someone like him enough so that he can betray them like that,” Trevor scoffed.

The killer laughed and shook his head, then turned to the man that brought Trevor in while motioning toward Trevor and Fiona.

“Lead these two out, will you? They aren’t useful right now, but they might be again in the future. Oh, and take Lindsay, too. I think trusting her any more than we already do would be pushing our luck,” he said casually.

The other man nodded and smiled, then gently grabbed Trevor and Fiona’s hands and began pulling them toward the exit with Lindsay trailing behind them at her own pace. The killer then looked back at the man with the mask.

“I don’t care what it takes,” the killer demanded through gritted teeth, “but you will make them trust you.”

“Of course,” the masked man responded.


	3. Chapter 3

Michael strolled through the door around 9AM, sighing as he watched Jeremy pace back and forth across the room.

“What did you want to talk to me about? Is this about that 'men dicks' thing or whatever it was that you called me about?” he asked, then paused as he noticed the jacket draped across one of Jeremy’s chairs and exclaimed, “what the fuck, Jeremy? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that jacket belongs to a fucking criminal!”

“Mendax,” Jeremy corrected, “and it’s more important than the jacket right now. I’ll explain that after.”

“Hold the fuck up, are you fucking telling me that that actually is The Vagabond’s jacket?” Michael shouted, sounding genuinely shocked and angry.

Jeremy glared at his friend and shushed him, shoving a piece of paper in his direction. Michael read the word on it and frowned, confused, as Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest and began to tap his foot impatiently.

“Someone left this on my door sometime between 4:30 and 6:30-ish,” Jeremy explained. “It’s the exact word that I keep hearing in my dreams. I looked it up and it means ‘liar’ in Latin.”

“Uh, I have several questions,” Michael muttered in response. “First off, how do you know for sure it was between those times?”

“I took a walk to clear my head. It wasn’t there when I left and it was on my door when I got back,” Jeremy said quickly.

“Why the fuck were you out so long? Also, why do you smell weird?” Michael questioned somewhat accusingly.

“That’s not important,” Jeremy dismissed. “Next question.”

“Okay, fine. Do you have any idea who could’ve put it there? Or how they knew that you keep having dreams about it?” Michael continued.

“I have no idea who it could be, but I do have a couple guesses for how they knew. They could have been playing a psychology trick on me and very subtly placing the word in places I see so that I never really noticed it but it’s still in my head, or maybe they listened to our call or saw my search history and wanted to freak me out,” Jeremy replied.

“That’s creepy as fuck,” Michael muttered, shaking his head.

Jeremy sighed and ran a stressed hand through his already messy hair.

“Do you have any other ideas? I’m really freaking out.”

Michael shrugged in bewilderment.

“Shit, man, I honestly have no clue.”

“I probably have a fucking stalker,” Jeremy groaned, throwing his head back in frustration.

“Okay, can you explain the jacket now?” Michael pressed impatiently.

“Oh, right. When I went on my walk, I met The Vagabond and we rode his motorcycle to a forest where we swam in a pond for a while and he let me borrow his jacket,” Jeremy muttered in slight shame, intentionally leaving out the part where he and The Vagabond made out.

“You…” Michael trailed off, staring at his friend in shock. “What the actual fuck? Please tell me you’re fucking lying. He’s a fucking criminal, Jeremy! He’s suspected of murder! What the fuck were you thinking? He could’ve fucking murdered your ass!”

Jeremy sighed and held up his hands in defeat.

“I know, I know. But you know I’m good at being able to tell when people lie. And… I don’t know, man, there was something different about him. He told me he’s only a criminal because he has no choice. He can’t really get money any other way. And I know he was telling the truth. He only lied to me once the entire time.”

“What did he lie about?” Michael questioned.

“Er,” Jeremy felt his face heat up as he mumbled, “nothing. It’s not important.”

Michael narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Jeremy, I know you’re lying.”

“No, no, I’m not lying,” Jeremy said quickly, shaking his head.

“Is there something you aren’t telling me, then?” Michael persisted, then his eyes widened and he pointed at Jeremy’s face. “Your lip. It looks like someone bit your lip.”

Jeremy’s hand flew up to gingerly touch his bottom lip. Sure enough, he could feel a mark where Ryan had bitten it earlier. He sighed and dropped his hand, face flushing a bright red. Michael raised a hand to cover his own mouth in shock, unsure of what to say next. Jeremy coughed awkwardly and looked away from his friend.

“Okay, so I might’ve made out with him a little bit,” he muttered in embarrassment.

“Ho. Ly. Shit.” Michael said slowly, eyes wider than ever. “You swam in the forest with a wanted criminal then made out with him and stole his jacket.”

“I didn’t steal his jacket!” Jeremy defended, then his voice got quieter as he added, “he told me to keep it so he has a reason to come back.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Jeremy, you sound like you’re in love with this guy.”

When Jeremy didn’t answer, Michael threw his hands in the air in frustration, looking exasperated.

“Look, I have no idea what kind of weird fantasy world you think you’re living in right now, but this is real fucking life. After he comes back for his jacket, you’ll never see him again until he’s on the news for some new crime or because he finally gets caught or something.”

Jeremy turned away as his eyes started burning.

“If this is what happens when people tell the truth, I don’t get why everyone doesn’t lie all the time,” he muttered quietly, sounding frustrated.

“Look, Jeremy, I’m just saying that it’s way too dangerous. I know you have a pretty reliable gut instinct, but that doesn’t mean it’s always accurate,” Michael replied gently.

“I thought if anyone would understand, it would be the only person that’s stuck with me through everyone. I guess I was wrong.”

“Jeremy, please just lis-”

Jeremy wheeled around to glare at Michael, his eyes red.

“Get the fuck out of my apartment.”

“Jeremy-” Michael tried to speak.

“Get. Out.” Jeremy was breathing heavily and looking furious. “I’ll figure this shit out on my own. The Vagabond would probably help me more than you are right now.”

Michael took a step back as if he had just been slapped, then shook his head and walked out of Jeremy’s apartment, slamming the door behind him. Jeremy dropped down into his chair and buried his face in his hands, feeling more miserable than ever.

Just outside the door, Michael leaned against the wall for a moment, his head spinning. He and Jeremy had been through a lot, but Jeremy had never gotten mad at him like that before. It seemed so out of character, Michael didn’t know what to think.

He took a deep breath before he started to move once again, then stood straight up as he noticed something down the hall. A security camera was attached to the ceiling, and it had a clear shot of Jeremy’s door. If he could just figure out how to see the tapes from last night, he could see who put the note there.

He turned to walk back into Jeremy’s apartment to tell him his idea, then paused as he realized Jeremy probably wanted some space for a while. However, he also wasn’t sure how to contact Jeremy’s landlord, which meant he would still have to talk to Jeremy.

Deciding it wasn’t worth potentially making his friend angrier, Michael exited the building. He lived close enough to Jeremy that he usually just walked from his house to Jeremy’s, so he decided to take a little detour to help clear his mind. He ended up wandering over to a park and took a seat on the ground, leaning his back up against a tree.

“You look a little lonely, care for some company?” a cheery, British voice asked out of the blue.

Michael glanced up to see a man approaching him. The man was smiling warmly and had a seemingly friendly vibe. Michael, however, was in a sour mood, so he did not care about how friendly the man seemed at the moment.

“No thanks, just because I'm alone doesn't mean I'm lonely,” he responded dismissively.

“Um,” the other man faltered, a puzzled expression on his face, then quickly regained his composure and said, “are you sure? I’m great company.”

Michael noticed what almost seemed to be a twinkle in the man’s eye. He let out a bored huff of breath and shook his head.

“I’m positive. Now, would you please kindly fuck off?”

The other man froze. Michael frowned and gave him an annoyed but inquisitive expression. The man furrowed his eyebrows, looking lost.

“W-what did you just say?” he managed to stammer.

“I said fuck off,” Michael repeated, starting to get frustrated.

The man took a step back, looking shocked.

“You… You’re different. What _are_ you?” he asked hesitantly.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Michael snapped, abruptly getting to his feet in case he was about to have to fight this guy.

The guy immediately held his hands up in surrender, stepping back nervously. He swallowed anxiously, looking confused and somewhat scared.

“You really don’t know?” he questioned.

Michael shook his head in response and crossed his arms over his chest. The man dropped his hands, frowning. He seemed to be studying Michael’s face closely, looking for any sign that he may be lying, but ultimately found nothing.

“Who even are you?” Michael demanded.

“I’m Gavin, and this may be a weird question, but do you believe in magic?” the man replied.

“Uh, what? Fuck no,” Michael said, furrowing his eyebrows.

Gavin made a confused noise, seeming perplexed at Michael’s answer, which just confused Michael even more.

“Look,” Michael muttered, “I have no idea what kind of game you’re trying to play here, but I really don’t wanna deal with it right now, sooo… I’m gonna leave.”

He turned to walk away, figuring it was about time he got home anyway, but Gavin jumped forward and grabbed his arm to stop him. Immediately upon contact, it felt like there was a spark between their skin. It wasn’t like static electricity, however. No, this was something different. It didn’t hurt, but it made Michael’s arm tingle slightly afterward. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. The two jumped apart and Michael turned abruptly to see that Gavin looked just as surprised as he was. Just for a moment, Michael could've sworn that Gavin’s eyes were a golden color, but when he blinked they were back to normal.

“What the fuck just happened?” Michael questioned, sounding alarmed.

“I don’t know, that’s never happened before!” Gavin answered quickly.

Michael stepped backward, running a hand through his hair, then shook his head before turning and walking away quickly. This was absolutely not how he had expected his day to go and he wanted to go home immediately to sleep off all the stress. As he left, he felt a tug in his chest that seemed to be telling him to go back to Gavin, but he ignored it and continued walking.

When he got back home, he kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto his bed, breathing deeply to calm his nerves. Once he had calmed down and his mind finally moved from Gavin back to Jeremy, guilt started rising in his chest so he pulled out his phone to send a text to his friend.

“ _Hey,_ ” he typed, “ _I’m really sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have turned against you so fast like that. Maybe tomorrow we can meet up again and try to figure out who put that note on your door?_ ”

He hit send, then saw that Jeremy read it almost immediately and watched nervously as his phone showed Jeremy start and stop typing several times. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief as he received a response from his friend.

“ _It’s alright, I shouldn’t have gotten so mad. Tomorrow will be fine._ ”

Michael dropped his phone on the bed next to him, then covered his face with his hands and groaned quietly, wondering how Jeremy would react to the story of what had just happened with that Gavin guy. This had by far been one of the strangest days in his life, and it wasn’t even noon.


	4. Chapter 4

Having known each other for years, Jack Patillo had long since noticed there was something a little strange about his friend Geoff. Not strange in a bad way, of course, just in that the air around him always seemed electric and dynamic, as if he were magical in some way. But as far as he could tell, Geoff had no special abilities. Jack had searched and searched for some sort of reason to explain why everything felt so heightened and active when he was around, but it was to no avail. Jack had even asked another friend about it once, but that friend, being a non-magical person who didn’t even believe in magic, had just laughed at him and told him it was probably just a crush making him feel that way.

Not long after that had happened, that friend had disappeared. Jack and Geoff had searched everywhere trying to find him, but it had seemed as though he had just vanished from existence. Being one of the few magical persons left in the area, and almost surely the only one that his friend knew, Jack often worried that it was somehow his own fault. For this reason, even though Geoff believed in magic, Jack refused to let Geoff find out that he was magical.

Jack was similar to an apothecary. He could make potions and build magical objects that were actually real (unlike the fake stuff most people make) and he owned a small shop on the outskirts of town. The front area of the shop just seemed to basically be a convenience store, but in the back he sold the magical items he made. Most people in the area that were aware of the existence of magic knew what Jack’s shop was and what to say to be allowed into the back area, so he never really had any issues. Geoff didn’t know about the back, of course, because Jack was fearful that something would happen if Geoff were to find out. So far, Jack had done a good job of not letting Geoff know about the magical half of his store. Geoff hardly ever visited the shop anyway, because he never really had a reason to. Unfortunately, Jack obviously couldn’t be lucky all of time.

It all started rather early in the day while Jack was calmly working on crafting a small silver talisman about an hour or so before he opened his shop. As he was absorbed in his work, he nearly jumped out of his seat as a loud banging started up at the door. He glanced up to see two people, both looking rather bruised and battered. He rushed to the door and unlocked it to let them in, eyebrows furrowed in concern. One of them, a tall dark-haired man, was clutching his ribs as if he was in serious pain, and the other, a tan younger looking woman, had a black eye and a dazed expression.

“Aedifex,” the man coughed, “please tell me you’re an aedifex.”

Jack nodded and quickly herded the two people into the back of his shop, where he kept the magical items he made. He dropped the unfinished talisman on the counter while scanning his shelves quickly, then grabbed a potion off the wall and poured two glasses of it, offering it to the two people.

“Drink this, it’ll ease the pain. What’s the nature of your injuries? And if it’s not too much prying, may I ask how you got them? It can help if I know the background of the incident, especially if it involved magic,” he said quickly as the two began to drink the potion.

“It’s mostly just bruising, but I think my ribs also might be broken,” the man explained. “We got kidnapped by a… demon-like being. He kicked me in the ribs at one point. I don’t think he’s very smart, though, because he told us a lot of his plan before letting us go.”

“Of course there’s the possibility he lied, but we can’t really know that without a mendax,” the other one added.

Jack took a deep breath as his head began to spin in confusion.

“Right, uh, that’s a lot of information that I didn’t expect. Can I ask your names?”

“I’m Trevor and this is Fiona,” the guy answered. “I’m a scholaris and she’s a lector.”

“A scholaris that can’t even read Latin,” Fiona muttered under her breath.

Jack frowned and shot Trevor an inquisitive look. Trevor sighed and rubbed his temples, wincing.

“I inherited all the books and the abilities that come with being a scholaris, but the scholaris before me, who was supposed to be my teacher, was killed before he could pass on all of the knowledge, including speaking Latin. I try to translate what I can from the books, but I get thrown off a lot by words with multiple meanings, especially considering it was all written by magical beings who love being cryptic,” Trevor explained.

“I’m so sorry,” Jack murmured gently.

“It’s fine,” Trevor shrugged it off, then winced and placed a hand gingerly on his ribs.

Jack turned and grabbed a pink colored ointment from the shelf behind him.

“Show me your worst injuries,” he ordered.

Trevor lifted up with shirt to reveal a large bruise on the side of his ribcage where he had been kicked. Noticing several other bruises around it, Jack motioned for him to take off his shirt and he did so, wincing at every movement. Jack carefully applied the ointment to the contusions he saw, then frowned as he turned to Fiona.

“Er, you don’t have to-”

“Don’t worry, the worst of my injuries are actually just the bruises on my wrists and face. They didn’t beat me up as much as Trevor,” Fiona said awkwardly.

Jack nodded and rubbed some ointment onto Fiona’s bruises while Trevor pulled his shirt back on. Suddenly, Jack frowned as he felt the all-too-familiar feeling of the air around him seeming to shift. He spun around then froze as he saw exactly what he had so carefully avoided all of these years. Standing in the doorway leading to the back of Jack’s shop was Geoff, who was looking shocked and confused.

“Jack, what the hell is all of this?” Geoff exclaimed. “How long has all of this been here?”

Jack sighed, feeling exhausted. Deep down he had known that it would happen eventually, but that didn’t mean he was particularly prepared for it.

“I’ve always had it. Please don’t be upset at me, I swear there’s a reason you’ve never seen it before.”

“What’s the reason, then? And who are these people?” Geoff demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

“This is Trevor and Fiona. You believe in magic, right Geoff?”

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Come sit down,” Jack said and patted the seat next to him.

Geoff frowned, hesitant, but sat down anyway with a skeptical expression. Trevor and Fiona glanced at each other awkwardly, unsure if they should leave or not. Jack breathed another deep sigh and put his hand on Geoff’s shoulder as he began to speak, explaining everything he figured Geoff needed to know.

While he spoke, Geoff started off looking rather pissed, but as Jack continued into explaining his fears about what happened to their other friend and why he hadn’t let him know about it all, the pissed expression turned into that of sympathy. When Jack finished talking, it seemed as though no one knew what to say, until Trevor finally broke the silence by saying,

“But I don’t understand. You’re magical too, aren’t you? Everything about your aura just screams magic.”

Fiona nodded in agreement at the statement while Geoff and Jack both frowned.

“See, I thought so too,” Jack murmured, “but I’ve known him for years and I’ve never found a single magical thing that he can do.”

“Maybe he has some sort of ability that’s not super obvious, like a proeliator,” Fiona suggested.

“There’s no way. Proeliatores deflect magic, but it’s always felt like magic is attracted to Geoff,” Jack argued, shaking his head.

“It would be great if you guys could stop talking about me like I’m not here and actually explain what the fuck a- what was it? Proeliator? Yeah, whatever the fuck that thing is,” Geoff complained in a frustrated voice.

Jack sighed and massaged his temples with his fingertips while Fiona gave Geoff a sympathetic expression.

“Proeliator means fighter in Latin. Like Jack said, it’s someone that deflects magic, so any magical spells or such won’t work on them. There’s one mentioned in the prophecy, and they're apparently supposed to protect gold of some kind,” Fiona explained, then glanced at Trevor, who looked excited as though he made some kind of realization.

“Dux,” Trevor whispered suddenly.

“What?” Fiona and Jack said almost simultaneously while Geoff said,

"Ducks??"

Trevor reached into his back pocket to pull out a small journal, flipping quickly to a page somewhere in the middle. He placed his hand over it and muttered a quiet incantation to reveal the page, then showed Fiona.

“The journal has more than just the prophecy. The pages are full of smaller prophetic hints and warnings and such. I’ve translated almost half of them as best as I can, but it’s difficult to understand what they mean. This one in particular speaks of a dux, or a leader, who can use their own energy to have partial control over the strength of someone or something else’s magic. It’s written really cryptically, but I think it basically means that they can make magic stronger or weaker, however they will weaken themself by doing so.”

“What makes them a ‘leader’?” Jack questioned.

“I don’t know yet,” Trevor admitted, “but I’m sure the answer must be somewhere. It’ll be easier to find now that I have someone who can actually read Latin.”

“What makes me this dux guy? And what even are you two? Also, why are you guys hurt?” Geoff asked, sounding more and more confused.

“It would make sense why magic is attracted to you. Magic isn’t exactly sentient, of course, but it can sense potential, and I can’t think of any other magical being that could be so absolutely full of it without having a really obvious ability. Also, I’m a scholaris, which basically means I have a ton of knowledge on the subject of magic and I keep and protect a ton of books that contain that knowledge and more,” Trevor explained.

“And I’m a lector,” Fiona continued, “so I can read any written language.”

Geoff nodded, trying to look like he wasn’t as confused as he actually was, while Jack rubbed his back comfortingly, feeling somewhat guilty for unloading all this information onto Geoff at once.

“You two should probably go home soon. Especially you, Trevor, it’s unwise to leave your books unattended for so long,” Jack interjected, trying to casually end the conversation to help Geoff have time to process everything.

“Wait,” Geoff argued, “I want to know why they’re so hurt. And I want to know more about ‘potential’.”

Jack sighed and looked at Fiona and Trevor.

“Alright then. Since Geoff wants to hear about the topic anyway, while you’re at it could you also tell me more about the ‘demon-like’ guy and the people working with him?”

“Yeah,” Trevor said while nodding. “The guy is an interfector, which is basically just like a really powerful demon-like being that can take a human form. They are less powerful in their human form, though.”

Jack hesitated, frowning.

“Doesn’t interfector mean-”

“Killer,” Fiona finished, “it means killer. I wasn’t technically kidnapped, but I was instead betrayed by my ‘friend’ Lindsay who led me to him. She didn’t even tell him why she brought me there until the last second when he was about to murder me because he thought I wasn’t useful.”

“I’m pretty sure Lindsay is a sycophantam; a trickster. She clearly lies a lot but not in the way a mendax would, and the ‘working for no one but herself’ thing definitely seemed to have that wildcard chaos that sycophantae love,” Trevor added. “As for me, I have no idea who exactly kidnapped me, but when I woke up I was taken into another room by a really attractive guy, who, uh… He… Ugh.”

He shuddered and stopped speaking for a moment, a strange expression on his face, then said in an almost desperate voice,

“I have a girlfriend. I swear I’m loyal to her. I would never want to look at somebody else like that. But it was weird with him. It was like I couldn’t control myself from wanting to-”

“He was an amans, Trevor,” Fiona interrupted. “No one could’ve controlled themselves in a situation like that. He’s basically a non-demon version of an incubus.”

“Right, yeah. I know. It’s just… Shit, I feel like such a douche,” Trevor muttered quietly.

“You should get home, Trevor. It sounds like you’ve had a long night and you look like you haven’t gotten a wink of sleep so you should definitely get some rest. You too, Fiona. I can give you guys both a light sleeping draught if you need,” Jack said, moving toward his shelves again.

“That would be great, thanks,” Fiona replied with a tired smile.

“Come back again anytime you want, okay?” Jack added comfortingly.

He handed Trevor and Fiona each a small vial of purple liquid and sent them on their way with directions of how to use it safely. Once they had left, he let out a soft groan as he dropped down into a chair and buried his face in his hands. Geoff frowned and put a hand on his shoulder.

“You okay there, buddy?”

Jack scoffed.

“Me? I should be asking you that. I really didn’t want that all to be thrown on you at once.”

“I’m somewhat in shock, I think, but I already believed in magic so it’s not like it flipped my entire world upside-down. Well, except for the part about you being magical. That kinda changes everything,” Geoff admitted with a shrug.

“I’m technically not ‘magical’, I just have a certain kind of potential that helps me craft magical items.”

“What _is_ potential? What does it do?”

Jack sighed and picked up his unfinished talisman that he had been working on, rubbing his thumb gently over the engravings on it.

“Everyone and everything has some form of potential that they are born or made with. Most people have an extremely low potential, so magic isn’t attracted to them and they can’t use it. This potential can never change, even though many people have tried making potions or spells to change it. You and I have somewhat similar kinds of potential. Because of my potential, I’m not able to directly use magic, but I can funnel it into inanimate objects like the potions and charms I make. Many people have learned how to make these items, but if they don’t have the right potential then they can’t make them work properly. You have so much potential, but your magic is probably best used in other situations and, like mine, can’t be used directly for yourself. If what Trevor was saying about the dux is correct, then the reason you have so much magic is because it takes a lot to control the strength of others’.”

Geoff frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Two questions. First, if everyone is born with potential, does that mean that there’s nothing in this world existing without it? Second, if potential doesn’t change, then how would someone weaken themself by using a lot of magic?”

“Good questions,” Jack replied. “For the first one, I suppose there are probably some inanimate objects with no potential, but every single living being in the world has at least a little bit. You need to have a certain amount of potential to be able to use magic, but most people don’t have enough. The only exception to that are proeliatores, who have more potential than the average magical person but can’t use any of it because they deflect magic.”

“Why do they deflect magic if they have so much potential?” Geoff questioned.

“No one really knows the exact reason,” Jack admitted, “but my best guess is just that magic is finicky. It won’t work all the time for everybody. For some reason, I guess, it just decides it wants to work against some people instead.

“As for your second question, magic works like energy. It can be used up but it will come back after a while of rest. Potential is just the possibility of being able to use magic and it's basically measured off of the maximum amount of magic you can hold at once. You can temporarily run out of magic, but your potential cannot be increased or decreased.”

As he finished speaking, he noticed Geoff eyeing the talisman in his hand, so he held it out for him to see. Geoff touched it gently, a curious expression on his face.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s a talisman. It’s like a charm or an amulet, but for more specific things. This one in particular is for hope, because it’s been hard to stay hopeful lately, and progress, because, well, you know…” Jack trailed off, frowning.

“If it’s not too much to ask, could you make one for me?” Geoff asked slightly hesitantly.

“Well, talismans are tricky, and it’s usually recommended that the person that intends to use it is the one that makes it, but I can help you make one if you want. It might be as powerful as most, but it could still work,” Jack replied with a soft smile.

Geoff grinned and nodded vigorously.

“Fuck yeah. That would be awesome. I really wanna learn more about all this shit. This is cool as fuck,” he said in an excited voice.

Jack chuckled.

“Good to see you’re taking this well,” he commented, punching Geoff lightly in the shoulder.

“Of course I am! I’ve been waiting my whole life for someone to tell me that magic is real!” Geoff laughed as he swatted at Jack’s hand.

Jack smiled and rolled his eyes, desperately trying to ignore the tight feeling in his chest. It felt good to have finally revealed his secret and he was always glad to see Geoff so happy, but at what cost?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a longer chapter to make up for the slightly longer wait than usual!

“I’m telling you, it was the strangest thing I’ve ever felt. The whole experience was just weird as fuck. And I still have an odd feeling in my chest,” Michael sighed as he threw his feet up against the back of his couch, leaning his head off the front so that it was upside-down as he looked at Jeremy, who was in the same position on a chair across from him.

“So the situation was strange, weird, and odd,” Jeremy remarked, raising his eyebrows. “And you said he called you ‘different’ right? Being different isn’t a bad thing, you know. Just ask The Vagabond. He said he likes people that are different.”

Michael groaned and kicked the wall in frustration.

“I really don’t think a random guy I met at a park and a criminal that you made out with in a pond at four o’clock in the fucking morning meant the same thing when they were calling us ‘different’. Besides, I don’t want to be the kind of ‘different’ that The Vagabond sees you as.”

“Are you, uh, still angry about that?” Jeremy asked hesitantly as he shifted to be sitting in a more normal position.

Michael shrugged.

“I don’t know. ‘Angry’ probably isn’t the right word. I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not at all upset about it, but I have no say over the choices you make. I didn’t meet the guy so I have no idea what the situation was like through your eyes, I just know that he’s a wanted criminal so it’s not exactly safe for you to be hanging out with him. I have to ask, though, are you actually in love with him? After one night?”

“Honestly, probably not. The whole thing was just so fresh in my mind and the feeling I had was like nothing I’d ever felt before so I kinda overreacted. You were right, anyway, after he takes his jacket back I’ll probably never see him again,” Jeremy sighed.

Michael moved his body so that his head was no longer upside-down, then crinkled his nose as a small wave of dizziness hit him. Jeremy let out a small teasing laugh, causing Michael to flip him off, but soon both of them were laughing at seemingly nothing. When the laughter died down, Michael said,

“I was wondering, is it possible to look at the security cameras in the hallway outside your door? We might be able to see who put the note on your door.”

“That’s fucking brilliant, Michael!” Jeremy replied excitedly. “I’ll call my landlord, he probably won’t just let me watch the tapes but I’m sure I could convince him to at least give me a picture of whoever it was.”

“What are you gonna say, though?” Michael questioned as Jeremy pulled out his phone to dial his landlord’s number.

“Trust me, it’ll be easy” Jeremy said, grinning, then put on a serious face as his landlord picked up. “Hi, it’s Jeremy Dooley. I apologize if this is inconvenient, but I actually have a favor to ask. Two nights ago, roughly around 4:30 AM, I left my apartment to go outside for a while. Sometime between then and when I returned at about 6:30 someone taped a piece of paper to my door. Would you be able to send me a picture of the person from the security footage? Whoever it is has been stalking me for a while and I thought it would just be easier if you gave me the photo so you wouldn’t have to get too involved in the police investigation unless it’s absolutely necessary. Yeah, could you email it to me as soon as possible? That would be great. Thank you so much, I really owe you one. Take care!”

He hung up the call and gave Michael a thumbs-up. Michael let out a huff of breath and shook his head in disbelief.

“He seriously said yes?” he marveled.

“My landlord is a simple guy. He wants things to be as easy as possible and he doesn’t want to have to deal with police. Besides, everyone believes everything I say. You just gotta know who you’re talking to; play the player.” Jeremy replied, a devious glint in his eye.

“You scare me sometimes, man,” Michael chuckled.

The next day, Jeremy strolled into Michael’s house without knocking on the door, announcing his presence loudly. In his hand was the picture, which was grainy but just barely good enough to be able to see the person’s face. Michael jumped as he entered, then walked over immediately to see the picture.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he groaned, throwing his hands into the air in frustration.

“C’mon, man, I know the quality is bad but-”

“Shut the fuck up, Jeremy, that’s not the problem here. The problem is that that’s the weird guy that I met the other day. This is so fucking annoying. Fuck, this means I have to talk to him again, doesn’t it?”

Jeremy watched in amusement as Michael had a mini-rage, stomping into the kitchen to grab some food. When Michael came back out, he was holding string cheese, which he promptly took a bite of, looking pissed.

“Michael, buddy, you don’t have to commit food crimes just because you’re upset. String cheese is still _string_ cheese no matter what your current level of annoyance is,” Jeremy complained.

“Fuck you,” Michael responded with his mouth full.

Jeremy scrunched his nose in disgust, then turned his head to look back at the picture in his hand.

“Since you know who it is, that’ll make it easier to find him. Besides, if he’s actually stalking me then it would make sense that he specifically chose you to talk to out of everyone in the park. Now all we have left to do is find him again and figure out what exactly he’s doing. Put your shoes on, we’re going to the park.”

“Right now?” Michael groaned but walked over to grab his shoes anyway.

Although Jeremy basically had to drag Michael out of the house, they eventually made it to the park and wandered over to where Michael had been sitting the other day. After several minutes of just standing there awkwardly and looking around to see if they happened to spot the guy, Jeremy started to get impatient.

“Okay, so I’m not saying we should give up, because we still definitely need to figure this situation out, but maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” he sighed.

“Ya think?” Michael muttered.

“What was the guy’s name, anyway? You never told me,” Jeremy asked, turning to glance inquisitively at his friend.

“Gavin.”

“You called?” a British voice spoke up behind them, causing Jeremy to jump in surprise.

Michael groaned, looking unsurprised and annoyed. He turned to glare at Gavin, who was now standing behind them with an innocent look on his face.

“How the fuck did I know you’d be there even before you spoke,” Michael grumbled.

Gavin’s face lit up and he grinned happily.

“So you felt it too! We must have some sort of a connection. You were looking for me, weren’t you? And you brought your liar friend too! Did you see that little note I left or did you just want to see me again?”

“Jesus fucking christ, do you ever stop talking? God, you’re fucking annoying. Just tell us what the fuck that note was about so I never have to see you again,” Michael snapped.

Gavin pouted.

“Why so hostile? Did I do something wrong?”

“Well, it kinda seems like you’ve been stalking me, so yeah,” Jeremy replied with narrowed eyes.

“Huh?” Gavin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I haven’t been stalking you. I didn’t even write that note! I was just delivering it for my friend Matt. He’s a somniator, and he said he wanted to have a little chat with you.”

“He’s a what now?” Michael frowned.

Gavin shook his head in awe.

“You really don’t know? In that case, I reckon you definitely oughta come with me and meet Matt. He’ll explain this all better than I will.”

When he finished speaking, he gave Jeremy a seemingly meaningful look, and Jeremy automatically nodded. Michael frowned at the interaction and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Did I miss something? Jeremy, we can’t just trust this guy just like that,” he argued.

Jeremy shrugged, a very slightly dazed expression in his eyes.

“It doesn’t seem like he’s lied about anything. He seems trustworthy to me, so I say we should just go with him and see what’s up.”

Gavin smiled innocently at Michael, who gave him a suspicious glare in return. After several long moments, Michael finally sighed and gave in.

“Fine, let’s go.”

Gavin excitedly grabbed Michael’s hand and started pulling him along. There was no weird spark this time, but Michael found it oddly hard to pull his own hand away, so Gavin continued gently pulling him while Jeremy followed close behind them. They walked to a car and Gavin dropped Michael’s hand to open the door and slide into the driver’s seat. Jeremy sat behind Gavin, and Michael hesitantly got in next to Jeremy, looking extremely dubious of the situation. Gavin then started up the car and began driving while trying and failing to make any conversation. The car ride went mostly without any real conversation, save for Gavin’s incessant mindless chatter and the occasional response from Jeremy.

After a while, they arrived at an apartment complex and followed Gavin up two flights of stairs before stopping at the door of an apartment. Michael could hear two voices which then abruptly stopped when Gavin knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a tired-looking man with a beard and shoulder-length hair. He looked surprised for a moment, then ushered them inside.

“Where’s the other person?” Michael asked immediately, frowning as he looked around.

“What other person?” the man that Michael assumed was Matt replied quickly.

“I heard two voices, someone else is here. Where are they?” Michael demanded.

Gavin guided Jeremy to a chair as he gave Michael another innocent smile.

“Don’t worry about it,” he cooed, and Jeremy nodded blankly.

Michael crossed his arms over his chest.

“Oh hell no, I am not falling for this shit. And what the fuck did you do to Jeremy? Why does he look like that?” he snapped, starting to look angry and slightly panicked.

“Don’t worry about your liar friend, he’s just confused,” Gavin responded lightly and motioned for Michael to sit down. “He’ll be back to normal soon and then Matt will explain everything. Isn’t that right, Matt?”

As he finished speaking, he gave Matt a pointed look. Matt grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose. Gavin cleared his throat deliberately and gave him another look, clearly expecting him to respond in some way. Matt gave a sigh of resignation before starting to talk.

“Look I honestly can’t explain that much. Trevor was supposed to be the one to explain all of this; I was just a messenger for him, and Gavin was basically a messenger for me. I didn’t expect you guys to be here so soon. I still haven’t been able to contact Trevor yet, and it’s really worrying me,” he rambled quickly.

Jeremy suddenly seemed to snap out of whatever weird state had come over him.

“No offense, but I couldn’t care less about this Trevor guy right now. Why have you been stalking me and why does Gavin keep calling me a liar?” he demanded.

“I haven’t been stalking you, I’ve been using your subconscious to make you try to find me. And you are a liar, aren’t you?” Matt replied.

Jeremy frowned, looking confused.

“What the fuck is going on?” he muttered, rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers.

“Why not just have that other guy explain? He seems to kinda know what’s going on,” Gavin suggested to Matt.

“So there _is_ another guy!” Michael hissed.

Gavin rolled his eyes and nodded, causing Matt to groan in frustration.

“He didn’t want anyone to know he was here, you idiot!” Matt scolded, then sighed and said, “I guess it’s too late now, though, so just go see if he’s willing to try and explain.”

Gavin nodded again and bounced away, leaving the other three in an awkward silence. They heard some muffled conversation, which briefly turned into somewhat of an argument before calming down again, then Gavin returned with the other man. Almost immediately, a brief flicker of surprise seemed to cross the man’s face as he met Jeremy’s eyes and Jeremy inhaled sharply but quietly, earning a strange look from Michael.

“This is Ryan, he’s smart,” Gavin introduced. “Ryan, this is, um… Sorry, what are your names?”

Matt slapped his palm to his forehead and Michael rolled his eyes.

“I’m Michael and that’s Jeremy. He’s usually not like this, but he’s acting weird right now,” Michael answered. “Can you tell us what the fuck is going on now? No one else seems to want to answer our questions.”

“Let’s all sit down first,” Gavin suggested, then plopped down into a seat next to Matt.

Ryan hesitated, then nodded and took a seat next to Jeremy. Jeremy’s eyes seemed to follow him the whole way, causing Michael’s eyebrows to knit together in confusion. When Jeremy finally tore his gaze away from Ryan, he gave Michael a helpless expression. Michael frowned, unsure of what Jeremy was trying to convey.

“Where exactly should I start?” Ryan mumbled as he stole glances at Jeremy.

“Anywhere you start is probably going to make you sound crazy, so you might as well just start with the craziest part,” Matt replied, shrugging.

Ryan sighed but nodded in agreement.

“Right. So, I suppose in that case I should start by saying that magic is real.”

After a moment of stunned silence, a sharp laugh escaped from Michael.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?” he turned to look at Jeremy with a disbelieving expression on his face. “Can you fucking believe this, man?”

Jeremy frowned and hesitated, then gave a small shrug.

“Maybe we should just hear him out. Even though it sounds like utter bullshit, this is the closest to an answer we’ve gotten so far,” he replied, glancing at Ryan, who responded with an almost imperceptible smile.

The two of them both seemed to visibly relax, causing Michael’s mind to go blank as he rapidly tried to figure out how to respond to his friend. After a few moments, he just gave up and shut his mouth, motioning for Ryan to continue speaking.

“I know it sounds insane. I used to think so too. Some things just can’t be explained by science, though. For example, Matt can control people’s dreams and Gavin can basically control people’s minds,” he explained.

“It’s not mind control, it’s just using people’s emotions to convince them to think they want something even if they don’t,” Gavin mumbled defensively.

“So it’s basically mind control,” Ryan repeated.

Michael scoffed and narrowed his eyes.

“If he can control minds, then why couldn’t he just make me stay when I first met him?”

Ryan frowned and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure,” he admitted. “I only started researching magic somewhat recently, and it’s hard to find information if you don’t know where to look. My best guess is that, because all magic works slightly differently, for some reason you’re repelling his magic.”

“Can you tell me why I keep being called a liar and why they gave me that weird note, though? That’s the whole reason I’m here and I still haven’t really gotten an answer,” Jeremy pressed.

“As far as I know, you’re something called a mendax, which means liar in Latin. Mendaces are semi-magical beings that can lie easily and convincingly and can always tell if someone is lying,” Ryan answered, giving Jeremy a comforting smile.

“Wait wait wait,” Michael interjected, “are you really telling me that his good psychological instincts are just magic? No offense Lil J, but that sounds like bullshit. Besides, I can sometimes tell when you’re lying, so you’re clearly not always convincing.”

“Like I said, you’re probably repelling the magic for some reason,” Ryan explained.

Michael threw his hands into the air in frustration as Ryan and Jeremy glanced at each other again.

“Okay, do you guys fucking know each other or something? Jesus fucking christ, it’s like you just can’t take your eyes off each other,” he complained in an annoyed voice.

Jeremy hesitated for a small moment, then answered,

“We met a while ago.”

His voice was so gentle that even Michael had to believe him. Michael’s shoulders finally relaxed and he let out a tired sigh as he studied Jeremy’s face. It was quiet in the room for a few moments, then the silence was suddenly interrupted by Matt’s phone ringing. Matt pulled the phone out of his pocket and his expression lit up as he read the caller ID. He hurriedly put the phone to his ear to answer the call.

“Trevor? Are you okay? What took so long for you to contact me?” he asked quickly.

The other four men remained silent as they tried to listen in to the other side of the conversation. They could hear nothing besides muffled nonsense, however, and it seemed to not last long before Matt said,

“Alright, I’ll be there with Gavin as soon as possible.” He hung up the call and turned to look at everyone. “I have to go to Trevor’s, he said there’s too much going on to explain it all on the phone. I’ll fill you all in later, but you can’t all come right now. I know you probably still have way more questions, but Trevor will be able to answer those once you meet him. Ryan, can you drive them home?”

Ryan nodded. Michael opened his mouth to argue, but Ryan quickly shook his head and mouthed the word ‘don’t’. Matt ushered everyone out of his apartment, seeming thankful that no one attempted to fight it. Ryan led Jeremy and Michael out to his car, opening both the passenger side door and the door behind it for them.

“Such a gentleman,” Jeremy joked with a smile, then faltered as Michael gave him a weird look.

They all got in the car and Michael told Ryan the street to drop him off at, still too suspicious to say his exact address. Ryan accepted it and began driving. The ride had even less conversation than the previous one, due to no one having any idea what to say. When they arrived at Michael’s street, all Michael said was “thanks” before he closed the door and began walking. Once Michael had left, however, the tension seemed to dissipate.

“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” Jeremy mused as Ryan started driving again.

Ryan let out a relaxed chuckle.

“Honestly, I didn’t either. They told me they were trying to get the attention of a mendax, but I didn’t think it would be you. In hindsight I suppose it makes sense, though, considering how easily you believed me the other night.”

His hand found its way over to Jeremy’s to give it a gentle squeeze, which Jeremy returned happily. They arrived at Jeremy’s apartment complex not too long after, and Ryan pulled into a parking spot. They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments, neither making any move to leave.

“This car is okay, but I must admit I think I like your motorcycle better,” Jeremy eventually said with a grin.

“The car isn’t mine,” Ryan replied, “I borrowed it from Matt. He doesn’t go out much, so he had no problem letting me use it. My motorcycle is more for, y’know, Vagabond stuff.”

“Makes sense,” Jeremy nodded, then perked up and added, “you should come in to my apartment!”

Ryan hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded. The two men let go of each other’s hands and got out of the car, but as they started walking toward the entrance of the building their hands found each other again and Jeremy smiled softly as he felt their fingers interlock. It almost felt natural, like they had been doing this their whole lives. They chatted idly as they walked up to Jeremy’s apartment, and remained hand-in-hand until Jeremy had to let go to fumble around in his pockets to find his keys and unlock his door. When they went in, Ryan’s eyes immediately went to his jacket, which was still sitting on the chair that Jeremy had left it on. Jeremy followed his gaze and seemed to deflate a bit.

“Oh, you probably want your jacket back, don’t you?” he realized out loud.

“I do,” Ryan admitted, “but don’t think that it means I won’t have any reason to come back again now.”

Jeremy smiled and sat down on his couch, pulling Ryan down to sit next to him. Ryan smiled back and pulled him closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Jeremy leaned his head on Ryan’s shoulder and interlocked their fingers once again.

“You should stay the night,” Jeremy suggested. “It’s boring being alone all the time.”

Ryan let out a deep sigh and pulled away from Jeremy, avoiding eye contact.

“I would love to, but I can’t.”

Jeremy sat up straighter and frowned.

“Why not?”

Ryan was silent for several moments before he finally turned to look back at Jeremy. His eyes were a little red and he seemed to be gritting his teeth slightly.

“The truth is, Jeremy, I’m cursed,” he admitted. “About two years ago, an incantatrix cursed me to wander forever, never allowed to stay in one place for long, hence the name ‘The Vagabond’. If I stay somewhere, I’ll be ‘found’, and the only way to lift the curse is if the incantatrix does it herself.”

Jeremy searched his eyes frantically, looking for any sign that he could be lying. Eventually he gave up and said,

“What did you mean when you said ‘you’ll be found’? Who will you be found by?”

Ryan shook his head.

“You don’t want to know the answer to that,” he muttered darkly.

“But…” Jeremy trailed off as he saw the serious expression in Ryan’s eyes, then took a deep but shaky breath and said, “how long do you have exactly before you’re, uh, ‘found’?”

“I can’t sleep in one spot for more than three nights, or it becomes too similar to a ‘home’ and I am no longer considered ‘wandering’. I often have to just stay in motels for a couple nights and when I run out of those I either have to sleep outside or I have to leave,” Ryan explained.

“Can’t you stay here for three nights then?” Jeremy pressed.

“If I do then I can never come back, Jeremy. I have limited time with you, I don’t want to waste it.”

Ryan looked at Jeremy with such a pained expression that it made Jeremy’s chest ache.

“Does it specifically require sleeping for it to count?” Jeremy said slowly.

“Well, yes-” Ryan began, then was quickly interrupted by Jeremy saying,

“Then we won’t sleep. If a place isn’t considered a ‘home’ when you don’t sleep there, then you won’t sleep here so you can come back again.” He spoke with such a determined look in his eye that Ryan couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll make some coffee and-”

“I don’t drink coffee, but I’ll take diet coke if you have it,” Ryan interjected.

“I don’t really drink coffee either, it was just the first thing I thought of,” Jeremy admitted, breaking into a grin as Ryan started laughing, “so we’ll drink diet coke and we can stay up and talk and play video games if you want because I have a ton of them and-”

Ryan cut Jeremy off with a firm kiss, cupping his cheek in his hand.

“You had me at diet coke and video games.”

Jeremy laughed breathlessly and kissed Ryan back.

“I’m going to make this the best non-home you’ve ever had.”


	6. Chapter 6

Trevor sighed as he sorted his books absentmindedly, waiting for Matt and Gavin to arrive. His library was a mess; the people that had kidnapped him had clearly been looking for something other than the journal. He sighed again, louder this time, as he picked a book up off the floor and sadly tried to unbend the now damaged pages.

“Would you quit sighing like that? It’s getting annoying,” Fiona complained, crossing her arms impatiently.

Trevor had just started to roll his eyes when he heard his front door open and jumped up to run over and greet the people that had just entered.

“Great, you’re here already. I have someone for you to meet and then you’re going to help me clean up my library while I explain everything. Also, I met an aedifex but he’s working in a shop so he couldn’t be here right now,” he said quickly as he herded Matt and Gavin into his library.

“What’s an aedifex?” Matt asked with a frown.

“I already told you,” Trevor groaned. “He can make potions and charms and stuff. Do you ever listen to a word I say? Ugh, whatever. How’s the whole dream thing going? Did you figure out what to do with Jeremy yet? I need to meet him as soon as possible. Fiona was able to translate the main prophecy so we know more about what’s going on. Unfortunately, an interfector and an amans and some scary mask guy also know the prophecy and they’re going to try to turn it against us. Pick up some of the books and put them on the shelf, will you? I’d like to not mistreat magical items like this.”

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down. What exactly happened??” Matt demanded.

“Yeah,” Gavin added with a concerned frown, “are you okay? You’re acting awfully weird.”

Trevor turned toward his two friends with a somewhat manic look in his eyes.

“Am I okay? Are you fucking kidding me? My girlfriend is missing and I just got kidnapped and beat up and forced to give information to-”

He cut off abruptly and winced, gritting his teeth in pain as his hand shot to his side. Fiona rushed forward to help him into a chair. Matt frowned in concern and stepped closer so he could kneel by Trevor’s side.

“What happened?” Matt asked again, this time directing the question at Fiona.

“The interfector kicked him and broke his ribs. He got medicine from Jack, the aedifex, so it should heal about twice as fast as normal, but that means it’ll probably still be about three weeks,” Fiona explained with a troubled look on her face.

“What’s an interfector, though?” Matt continued questioning.

Gavin frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.

“It’s a type of demon, isn’t it? Or something similar, at least. They can live for longer than most humans, but they aren’t immortal. They’re really weak when they’re younger, but once they reach their mid-twenties or so they get much more powerful and develop a strong bloodlust.” Seeing Matt’s surprised expression, Gavin quickly added, “Ryan told me when he was staying the night at my place.”

Trevor glanced up in alarm, face still slightly twisted in pain.

“Who’s Ryan?”

“Huh? Oh, he’s a human. Cursed, though. I met him yesterday and he seemed pretty nice and smart. He needed a place to stay for a couple nights so I let him stay at my house and then brought him to meet Matt this morning. He seems to kind of be hiding for some reason, though,” Gavin explained.

Matt slapped his forehead with his palm and groaned. Gavin’s eyes went wide and his mouth turned into a small ‘o’.

“I prolly shouldn’t have said that all,” he mumbled as Matt gave him a pointed look.

“What kind of curse is on him?” Fiona said curiously.

Before Gavin could respond, Matt interrupted him by saying,

“That’s Ryan’s business, so we should respect that. He didn’t tell me what it was, and knowing what Gavin is capable of he might not have even wanted to tell Gavin. We’ll see if he wants to meet you guys, and if he does then he can decide on his own what information he’d like to give you about himself.”

Gavin shut his mouth, a guilty expression on his face. Trevor sighed and rubbed his temples while Fiona hummed in curiosity.

“So what kind of beings are you two? I’m a lector, so I can read any language,” Fiona inquired.

“Gavin is an aurum and I’m a somniator,” Matt replied.

“Woah, I’ve never met an aurum before. Aura are so rare, I bet there are tons of magical persons trying to track you down,” Fiona murmured in awe as she looked at Gavin, then her eyes lit up and she said excitedly, “I bet you’re the aurum mentioned in the prophecy! I figured it meant actual gold considering how unlikely it is to meet an aurum, but it would make so much more sense that you’re the ‘gold’. Is it true that your eyes actually…?”

Gavin rubbed the back of his neck slightly bashfully.

“Turn gold, you mean? Only a little bit,” he admitted with an awkward chuckle, then donned a proud smile as he added, “but when I’m feeling really strong emotions it’s more apparent and occasionally they’ll glow a little. It’s quite lovely, if I do say so myself.”

Fiona let out a soft “ooh” and leaned forward to inspect Gavin’s eyes closer. Matt let out an impatient groan.

“Hold on, can we back up? I still don’t know exactly what happened with the interfector dude and the prophecy and all that,” he complained.

Trevor nodded, wincing slightly as he rolled his shoulders back, then began to speak.

“Right. Long story short, Fiona and I were both taken to some strange place where I was forced to reveal the page with the prophecy and Fiona was forced to read it. There were at least four other people there including Lindsay, who’s probably a trickster and isn’t actually on anyone’s side. The ones that were definitely not on our side were the amans, the interfector, and the creepy mask guy. They seem to be planning to use the mask guy as the traitor in the prophecy, but considering that they let us go after seeing that much of their plan it’s possible that it’s just a trick. After they let us free we found the aedifex and met another person who seems to have high potential but we aren’t sure exactly what kind of magic he can do. And I think that brings us right about up to date, so it’s your turn now. What happened while I was gone?”

After a moment of silence while Matt and Gavin processed the information, Gavin suddenly started bouncing in excitement.

“We talked to the mendax! And Ryan told him and his friend all about magic and-”

“Wait wait wait, his friend? The non-magical one?” Trevor demanded. “What were you thinking??”

Matt sighed and a sheepish expression crossed Gavin’s face.

“Calm down, Trevor. He might be helpful. He’s not just non-magical, he’s like… The opposite of magical. He repels it or something, it’s really weird. I think it would be good to have him on our side, though. Besides, Gav seems to really like him,” Matt said, sounding tired.

Trevor let out a gasp and quickly glanced at Fiona, who looked just as surprised. Gavin frowned in confusion and motioned for Trevor to explain.

“It sounds like he could be a proeliator!" Trevor exclaimed excitedly. "This is huge, there was one mentioned in the prophecy! Oh, I have to meet him right away! And the mendax, too! Where are they? Can I talk to them?” 

“Matt sent them home,” Gavin grumbled.

Trevor groaned and threw his hands into the air in frustration, then winced once again and reflexively pulled his back hands down to touch his side gently. Fiona shook her head at Trevor before letting out a curious hum.

“Could we at least meet that Ryan guy, then?” Fiona suggested. “That is, if he’s willing to talk to us.”

“Ryan gave the other two a ride home in Matt’s car. He doesn’t have a phone, so we’re just kinda trusting him to come back and not steal the car or something. Oh, I forgot to mention, the mendax had apparently met him before! Judging by how their emotions were reacting I’m guessing they either had a relationship in the past or a one night stand that ended well,” Gavin explained with a smirk.

Matt slapped him upside the head, looking annoyed.

“Would you quit talking about him? His private life is none of our business,” he hissed, causing Gavin to pout.

“Well, without invading people’s privacy, can you guys bring me to talk to at least one of them?” Trevor begged.

Gavin began bouncing excitedly again.

“Can we go talk to Michael? Trevor, you’ve been stalking them, so you know where he lives, right? I don’t think he really believed us even after he went back home, but if anyone could convince him I bet it would be you,” he suggested, causing Trevor to turn a bright red.

“I-I have not been stalking them!” Trevor stammered in defense. “I’ve just been, y’know, watching Jeremy to find the best way to talk to him and tell him everything that’s going on.”

“But you do know where Michael lives? If you really want to talk to him that badly, then you’ll have to lead the way,” Gavin said with a grin, his eyes glimmering just slightly.

Trevor hesitated, then breathed a deep sigh of defeat and nodded. The four people stood up and headed outside to get into Trevor’s car. Despite Fiona’s arguments about putting strain on his injury, Trevor got behind the wheel to drive. After a not very long ride, Trevor parked on the street outside Michael’s house but made no move to get out of the car, looking slightly hesitant. Gavin rolled his eyes and hopped out, then the others followed after him. Before he could even lift his hand to knock, however, the door swung open to reveal a furious-looking Michael.

“What the fuck do you want now?” he growled.

Gavin perked up and started grinning.

“So you felt it too! You could tell I was close!”

Michael narrowed his eyes.

“I didn’t feel shit, I saw you through the goddamn window,” he spat.

Gavin just gave a knowing smile as he noticed Michael subconsciously rubbing his chest. Trevor looked between them curiously, then turned to Michael and held out a hand.

“I’m Trevor, it’s really nice to meet you,” he said with a smile.

Michael glanced at Trevor’s hand for a moment, then ignored it and looked back at Gavin.

“How did you fucking find my house?” he demanded. “I didn’t even let the other guy know my address.”

Gavin shrugged and looked pointedly at Trevor, who dropped his hand as his face flushed in embarrassment.

“Ah, I may have known your address because Jeremy comes here a lot. I’ve, uh, been sorta following him. I didn’t mean it in a creepy way, it’s just that he’s part of a prophecy and I was trying to figure out the best way to talk to him about it,” Trevor explained while running a hand through his hair nervously.

“Dude, you’re literally stalking him. That’s fucking creepy. Cut it out and leave us alone,” Michael hissed.

“I know,” Trevor muttered, dropping his head to stare at the ground in shame.

Gavin sighed and turned back to Michael, who was clearly waiting for them to leave.

“Could you just let us in so we could talk to you for a while? Trevor may be a creep sometimes but he has some really interesting stuff to say. I really think you’ll believe us if you just listen to him,” Gavin begged, his eyes starting to glimmer.

Michael let out a sharp laugh in response and put his hands on his hips, causing the glimmer in Gavin’s eyes to die down immediately.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Why would I let my best friend’s stalker into my house? He chooses enough bad company for the both of us, there’s no way in hell I’m gonna intentionally put us in a potentially dangerous situation like that,” he replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Look,” Fiona said suddenly, stepping forward, “I completely get why you’re hesitant. I would be too. But please just trust us. It’s a matter of life or death.”

Michael laughed again, his eyebrows raised high.

“Life or death? Damn, girl, why are you so serious? You really outta get out more, huh?”

At that, Matt crossed his arms in annoyance, starting to look pissed.

“Really, man? There’s no need to be such an asshole about this,” he spat.

“No need to be an asshole? Clearly you’ve never been stalked before,” Michael mused. “It makes sense, though. Why would anyone bother trying to find out where someone lives if they dress like they don’t even have a home?”

“Hey, don’t talk to my friends like that!” Gavin snapped.

Michael turned to glare at Gavin.

“Or what, pretty boy? You gonna use your magical powers to make me stop? Oh wait, you can’t, because magic doesn’t fucking exist,” he sneered, his Jersey accent slipping out as he stepped closer so that he was nose-to-nose with the latter.

“You really don’t understand anything! People are going to die because of your ignorance!” Gavin yelled angrily.

“I’m not ignorant, sweetheart, I’m realistic. I’m not interested in joining your stupid cult or whatever the fuck this is, so why don’t you just turn that pretty little ass around before I kick it into next week? Or do I need to say that in a way you’ll understand better? For example, _piss off_.”

Michael spoke the last two words in a mocking British accent, making Gavin fume.

“First of all, I’m not your sweetheart. Second of all, even if this was a cult we would still have more morals than you, you nihilistic twat,” Gavin spat, practically shaking with anger.

“How cute,” Michael laughed cattily, “you finally figured out how to stand up for yourself. Make sure to mark today in the calendar as the very first day you’ve ever managed to not be a kiss-ass.”

Gavin clenched his fists in anger, gritting his teeth tensely. Michael raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms as if to dare Gavin to do something. Trevor glanced between them nervously, clearly wanting to alleviate the situation.

“Er, Michael-”

“Say one more word and pretty boy here is gonna be on the fucking ground,” Michael warned.

“You can’t hurt him,” Trevor blurted, looking panicked.

“Oh really? Well that’s too bad, I don’t listen to what my friend's stalker tells me to do,” Michael retorted, then placed his hand in the middle of Gavin’s chest and shoved him backwards.

He watched smugly as Gavin stumbled down the steps for a moment, losing his balance, but right before Gavin hit the ground Michael blinked and he was suddenly on his feet again, looking baffled.

“Wh- what just happened?” Michael stammered, suddenly looking pale.

“I told you, you can’t hurt him,” Trevor said quickly. “It’s literally impossible; Fate forbids it. I don’t know how or when, but you formed a bond. Your souls are linked, it’s part of the prophecy. _A fighter will rise, he will protect the gold._ You’re the fighter, or the proeliator, and Gavin is the gold, or the aurum. You’re literally made to defend him, so it’s not physically possible for you to cause him harm.”

Gavin suddenly inhaled sharply, looking straight forward with unfocused eyes.

“ _Animae dimidium meae_ ,” he murmured, “half of my soul.”

“Gavin, you- your eyes!” Michael stuttered in shock. “They’re-”

“Glowing,” Fiona finished in awe.

Gavin suddenly seemed to blink back into reality and his eyes faded back into their normal color. He glanced around at everyone as they all stared at him. His eyes finally landed on Michael, who was now leaning against the doorframe looking ill.

“On second thought,” Michael murmured weakly, “you guys can come in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is kinda rough, it's 3AM but I was really rushing to get this one out because I won't be able to work on anything again until this weekend. I also apologize in advance if my updating slows down a lot because I have a lot going on at home right now. I love you guys and I'll try my best to keep updating frequently, though <3


	7. Chapter 7

“... and declare himself the king,” Fiona finished reciting the prophecy to a dumbfounded Michael, who just shook his head disbelievingly in response.

“Look, I get that for some reason I can’t hurt Goldie over there and that his eyes glow which is honestly kinda cool but also terrifying, but you can’t possibly expect me to believe I’m part of some prophecy that says I have to protect him. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be protecting him from!” he argued.

Trevor let out a frustrated groan.

“We get it, you literally deflect magic so it’s hard for you to wrap your mind around it. And I know prophecies seem weird sometimes, especially when not read in the original language. It’s vague; even I don’t know exactly what you’re supposed to protect him from and I was literally being trained to decipher prophecies before-” he cut off abruptly, expression suddenly darkening.

“Before what?” Michael pressed, ignoring Fiona, Matt, and Gavin’s frantic motions to stop talking.

Fiona and Matt glared at Michael in annoyance while Gavin shook his head in frustration, but Michael just shrugged in response to them. Trevor ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“It’s fine, guys. I don’t mind talking about it,” he said to Fiona, Matt, and Gavin, then turned to Michael and continued, “my teacher passed away. Or, more accurately, he was killed. Someone- or some _thing_ \- didn’t want me to gain all of his knowledge. I’m mostly over it now because it happened a long time ago, but, now that my girlfriend is missing, my memories of it keep coming back to me. It doesn’t really help that last time I saw her it seemed like she wanted to tell me something really important, but I was so distracted I told her to tell me later. I should’ve just listened.”

“Oh. I’m really sorry. I, uh, I hope you can find her soon,” Michael replied with a frown, his voice soft and genuine for the first time since the group had arrived.

The entire room seemed to relax just a bit and they fell into silence. After a moment, Fiona turned to look curiously at Trevor and asked,

“Your girlfriend- is she magical?”

Trevor nodded and ran a hand through his hair again.

“She’s an incantatrix. And I know most famous incantatrices in history weren’t really good people, but she wants to break that stereotype. She’s really a wonderful person and I know she wouldn’t just disappear like this. Something had to have happened to her,” he explained.

“Wait, there’s still more magical beings that you haven’t told me about yet? What the fuck does an incantatrix do?” Michael questioned, causing Gavin to let out a chuckle.

“Of course there are more magical beings. If we were to tell you about every single magical being that exists, we would be here for eternity,” he laughed, rolling his eyes. “Put simply for your non-magical brain to understand, though, an incantatrix is kinda like a witch. They don’t make potions or anything like that, though, but they can cast verbal spells. It was actually an incantatrix that put a curse on your friend’s lover.”

Matt slapped Gavin’s shoulder.

“Dude, will you just respect his privacy? Everything he told you about his curse was supposed to be in confidence,” he scolded.

“Wait wait wait, go back. Did you say ‘lover’?” Michael demanded in confusion.

Gavin hesitated, frowning.

“Well, yeah. Maybe not current lover, I suppose, but at least something in the past. And they obviously still have feelings for each other. It’s quite cute, honestly,” he replied.

“What the fuck do you mean they still have feelings for each other? How would you know that?” Michael pressed, sounding baffled.

“My entire power comes from controlling emotions, love. Obviously I can read them. They were confused at seeing each other at first, but once they got over that they were clearly trying hard to not be all over each other. You even mentioned yourself that they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Oh, and did Ryan take your friend home after dropping you off? I wouldn’t be surprised if they were still together right now,” Gavin continued with a shrug.

Michael started pacing around the room, looking bewildered.

“He never mentioned…” he muttered under his breath, trailing off as his eyes widened in realization. “Fuck. Oh, fuck. Holy shit.”

“What?” Trevor questioned in alarm.

“Jeremy’s gonna hate me for this, but we need to go to his place right now. I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure that Ryan guy is a wanted criminal,” Michael answered, already moving toward the door.

Gavin quickly rushed over, shoving an arm between Michael and the door.

“Wait,” Gavin blurted, “if your friend is a mendax then we should trust him. He knows when people are lying, so if he trusts Ryan then we should too.”

Fiona chewed on her lip nervously, glancing at Trevor with her eyebrows raised. Trevor grimaced.

“When it comes to magic, emotions are incredibly powerful. It is possible that if a mendax isn’t fully aware of their power then their judgement can be clouded by emotion. Basically, they’ll technically know that the person is lying, but their emotions will tell them that they aren’t,” he said, sounding slightly unsure if he should be speaking or not.

Michael whirled around to look at Trevor, who jumped nervously.

“If that’s all true then we have to go. If anyone could judge if Jeremy’s emotions are too strong, it would be probably be you guys,” he pressed.

“I think we should still respect Ryan’s privacy and at least say something before going, though,” Matt argued with a doubtful expression.

“That would let him know we’re suspicious of him, though,” Fiona countered somewhat hesitantly, as if she wasn’t completely sure that she believed herself.

Gavin shook his head and placed himself fully inbetween Michael and the door.

“Even so, we shouldn’t just barge in. Messing with emotions like that can be dangerous.”

Trevor stepped forward, placing a hand on Gavin’s shoulder.

“Neither of them can do anything to us using magic like that. Besides, I don’t think we should risk Ryan getting away, especially considering Fiona and I have seen some of the people we’re up against. Even ignoring the fact that he’s a criminal, if there’s any chance of us recognizing him as one of those people then we need to see him,” he said in a serious voice.

Gavin opened his mouth up as if to say something, his eyes starting to glint, then seemed to decide against it and shut his mouth. His eyes returned to normal as he nodded and stepped away from the door, and Trevor gave him a thankful smile. The five of them filed through the door, some more hesitant than others, but no one put up any more of a fight. Once outside, some of them began to walk toward Trevor’s car, but Michael shook his head and began to lead the way as he walked toward Jeremy’s apartment. The others followed, no one bothering to say anything. Gavin walked closely behind Michael, but the rest allowed a few feet of distance between. When they reached the apartment complex, Matt nodded toward a car parked outside.

“That’s my car, so Ryan’s definitely here,” he muttered, breaking the silence.

Gavin frowned, pausing outside the entrance to the building.

“Should some of us wait out here? We probably shouldn’t overwhelm them.”

Fiona nodded.

“I’ll wait out here if Trevor wants to go in. We technically both saw the interfector and the amans, but Trevor saw the amans better than I did and he also was able to see the proditor when I couldn’t,” she offered, and Trevor nodded in agreement.

“I’ll stay too, Ryan seemed much more willing to open up to Gavin than me,” Matt added.

“So it’s me, Goldie, and Stalker? Great,” Michael muttered.

Gavin giggled happily at the nickname, causing Michael to roll his eyes and grumble under his breath while he walked into the building. Gavin and Trevor followed him inside and up the stairs until they reached Jeremy’s doorway.

“You should probably-”

Michael interrupted Gavin by throwing the door open and marching in.

“-knock,” Gavin finished with a frown, then hesitantly poked his head into the apartment.

Ryan and Jeremy were sat together on the couch with Xbox controllers in their hands, both looking startled. Ryan had one arm wrapped around Jeremy’s shoulders, and Jeremy was snuggled tightly against him. Michael looked them up and down with narrowed eyes and crossed his arms in annoyance.

“What the fuck?” Ryan blurted out, eyes darting between Michael and Gavin.

Trevor quickly pushed Gavin fully inside and stepped in after him. Upon seeing Trevor, Ryan dropped his controller, and his grip on Jeremy’s shoulder immediately tightened, causing Jeremy to glance back at him in alarm. Ryan stared straight ahead at Trevor, who paled when their eyes met.

“You…” Trevor murmured, backing up nervously, his expression filled with doubt.

“What?” Ryan questioned, eyes narrowing as if daring Trevor to say something.

Jeremy pressed himself closer to Ryan nervously.

“What’s going on?” he asked in an anxious voice.

Gavin frowned in confusion, looking at Trevor for answers.

“I second that, what’s going on? Do you know him?”

“Your voice… The masked man… You’re the masked man, aren’t you? The proditor?” Trevor demanded, his voice shaking.

“I know you’re not an idiot, scholaris, but you’re misreading the situation,” Ryan replied, a warning tone in his voice.

“Ryan, what’s going on?” Jeremy pressed.

Ryan said nothing, instead just giving Jeremy’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. Jeremy frowned and let out a huff of breath, starting to look frustrated, then shifted away from Ryan just slightly. Trevor crossed his arms defiantly.

“What am I misreading? Are you or are you not the proditor?”

“They think I am, but I’m not,” Ryan hissed. “They think they can control the prophecy, but they can’t. I would never be on the side of idiots like them. Besides, do you really think they would let you see me if they actually wanted you to trust me? I’m just a distraction. They don’t actually expect me to succeed.”

Trevor hesitated, looking doubtful. He looked at Gavin for help, clearly unsure if he should believe Ryan or not, but Gavin just shrugged in response. Michael rapidly glanced between the other four people in the room, trying desperately to understand the situation. Ryan raised his eyebrows, still looking straight at Trevor.

“Listen to me, scholaris. The only reason you recognized my voice is because I wanted you to be able to once we met, that’s why I spoke out loud before you left. Also, you not only have an aurum who could force me to tell the truth, but you also have a mendax who can tell if I’m lying or not. Will you believe your enemy, or will you believe the thing you study and base your entire life off of?” he said, voice suddenly calm.

Trevor swallowed nervously, looking conflicted.

“What’s in it for you, though?” he questioned.

Ryan paused, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why would you be on our side? They’re more powerful, they probably have the upper hand. And even if they’re as stupid as you say, they could easily offer you more in return for helping than we could. What could we ever give you that they couldn’t?” Trevor explained.

Ryan shook his head.

“It’s not what you can give me, it’s what you already have,” he muttered, pulling Jeremy closer to him again.

Gavin let out a soft “oh” and Michael narrowed his eyes. Trevor quickly grabbed Gavin’s arm and pulled him away from Michael to speak to him quietly.

“Gav, what are his emotions like right now? Does he seem genuine?” he demanded in a hushed voice.

Gavin glanced back at Ryan, who had finally torn his gaze away from Trevor and was looking at Jeremy with a gentle expression.

“I think so,” Gavin confirmed. “We should keep a close eye on him just in case, though. And I’ll make sure that Jeremy will say something if Ryan starts acting fishy.”

“Will somebody fucking tell me what’s going on?” Michael complained, throwing his hands into the air in frustration.

“Me too,” Jeremy added, though his eyes remained locked on Ryan’s.

Ryan turned his head to look back at Trevor, who sighed.

“Proditor means traitor in Latin. There’s one mentioned in the prophecy. When I was kidnapped I saw Ryan there and the interfector referred to him as the proditor. If Ryan is telling the truth, then he isn’t actually working against us, but if he’s lying, then, according to the prophecy, he’ll betray his lover, which would be…” Trevor’s eyes landed on Jeremy, “...you.”

Jeremy shivered and frowned.

“Ryan, is this true? Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked quietly, eyes searching Ryan’s face for an answer.

Ryan squeezed his shoulder again and gazed at him intensely.

“You have to understand, they could be listening from anywhere. If they find out I’m working against them, they’ll hurt me. They could even hurt you. But I won’t let that happen. If they hurt you, I’ll fucking kill them all,” he muttered, gritting his teeth.

Jeremy shivered again as he continued to search Ryan’s face.

“I really don’t like that that last part was true, Ryan,” he whispered, his voice inaudible to anyone else.

Ryan hesitated for a moment before softening, the tenseness leaving his shoulders.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” he murmured, gently placing a hand on Jeremy’s cheek.

Jeremy shifted uncomfortably and tore his gaze away from Ryan.

“You’re lying now,” he said quietly.

Ryan paused again, then cleared his throat and pulled away from Jeremy before standing up.

“I should go,” he announced, moving to grab his jacket.

Jeremy looked as though he wanted to stop him, but ultimately said nothing and allowed Ryan to exit. Trevor and Gavin glanced at each other nervously as Ryan passed, and Michael let out a huff of breath.

“I fucking knew it,” Michael muttered once Ryan had left. “I knew Ryan was that criminal. You lied to me about not falling for him.”

Jeremy turned to glare at Michael.

“Fuck off, man. Stay out of my fucking personal life. No wonder I’m your only friend, you’re a fucking asshole,” he spat angrily.

Michael let out a huff of breath.

“Are you serious, Jeremy? I was only trying to help you!” he argued.

“That’s exactly it, Michael!” Jeremy shouted, standing up abruptly. “I don’t need your fucking help, and you’re not even actually trying to help anyway! You only ever do things for yourself and you’re a dick to literally every single person you meet!”

Michael stepped back, looking stung.

“You don’t mean that,” he replied coldly.

Jeremy scoffed.

“Are you kidding me? Just face it, man, you’re a shitty person and an even worse friend. Ryan is literally a fucking criminal but he still treats me better than you do. Why can’t you just fucking let me be happy for once in my life?” he snapped.

“I just want to protect you, Jeremy! I don’t want you to get hurt!” Michael countered in frustration, voice starting to rise again.

“Don’t want me to get hurt? You’re the one that’s hurting me, Michael,” Jeremy yelled angrily, then choked a bit and started coughing.

Michael stepped forward quickly to make sure he was okay, but Jeremy automatically backed up away from him, shaking his head. Once he caught his breath he muttered,

“I can’t believe I have to say this to you twice in one fucking week, but get out. All of you. Just leave me the fuck alone.”

Michael hesitated, then turned and walked out the door. Gavin and Trevor quickly followed, closing the door behind them as they left. When they got back outside the building, Matt and Fiona were still there, sitting on the ground as they waited. Matt stood up abruptly when he saw them.

“What happened? Ryan came out a couple minutes ago looking really upset and he handed me my car keys then left,” he questioned.

Michael said nothing and kept walking, not even bothering to make eye contact. Fiona watched him pass then turned to Trevor and Gavin with her eyebrows raised.

“What’s he so upset about this time?”

“Let’s just get in the car. I’ll explain on the way back,” Trevor sighed.

Gavin hesitated, eyes following Michael’s retreating figure.

“You guys go on without me,” he decided, “I’m gonna talk to Michael.”

He raced to catch up, then slowed his pace as he approached. He fell into step beside Michael, saying nothing. Michael glanced at him and rolled his eyes.

“What do you want? Are you here to tell me even more about how much of a dick I am?” he asked boredly.

“It’s not entirely your fault, you know,” Gavin responded. “You were literally created with the sole purpose of protecting people, so you feel very strongly about it but you just don’t really know how to.”

Michael scoffed.

“What’s the point of existing if I don’t even know how to do what I was created for?” he complained.

“It takes time. You think I’ve been perfect at reading and using emotions since I was born? I still had to learn a lot of it. I’m not even perfect at it now.” Gavin let out a chuckle and shook his head. “Jeez, now you’re even making me sound smart.”

“Well that seems insulting,” Michael muttered, then breathed a deep sigh and glanced at Gavin again. “Alright, Goldie, how do I learn how to actually do my job?”

Gavin frowned and looked back at Michael.

“Michael, boi, you’re supposed to be protecting _me_. I barely even know how to do that myself,” he replied.

Michael snorted, trying to hold back a smile. Gavin noticed and a grin spread across his face. Michael quickly cleared his throat to recover, but he could still feel the smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“You think I’m funny,” Gavin teased excitedly.

“In an extremely annoying way, yes. Fuck your stupid emotion reading abilities,” Michael huffed, then looked at Gavin with a curious expression and asked, “if your emotion reading is because of your magic, why did you still have to learn it? Also, why are you able to read my emotions if I deflect magic?”

Gavin shrugged.

“The emotion reading isn’t really the magic part, although technically I do have an innate ability to do it better than other people. The magic just allows me to basically control people by using their emotions, which, like anything else, requires practice,” he explained.

Michael snorted again.

“Okay, first of all, the phrase “I have an innate ability to do it better than other people” is the most conceited thing I’ve ever heard come out of someone’s mouth. Second of all, I thought you said it wasn’t mind control.”

“It’s not conceited, it’s true. And it’s not mind control, it’s just sorta similar,” Gavin argued.

“You’re defensive about that, huh?” Michael commented, then chuckled as Gavin scrunched his nose up, and said, “you’re gonna be so fun to mess with. I can’t fucking wait.”

“Whatever,” Gavin muttered. “At least it means you’re actually listening to me.”

“Sorry, what did you say?” Michael joked in response.

Gavin rolled his eyes and a grin broke across his face again. Michael couldn’t help but smile back.

“You know,” Michael laughed, “you’re not actually the worst. You’re still fucking annoying and I’m gonna lose my goddamn mind if you keep following me everywhere, but you’re not the worst.”

“Seems like high praise from you, so I’ll take it,” Gavin responded happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had way too many chapters in a row end without a cliffhanger, I think. I might start to not be so kind soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Jeremy stared into his glass of whiskey, swishing it around absentmindedly. The bar buzzed with life around him, but he was hardly paying attention. He was lost in his own thoughts, enough so that he almost didn’t notice when someone plopped down onto the seat next to him.

“Rough day?” the person asked.

Jeremy blinked in surprise, unsure at first if they were even talking to him. When he looked over, though, the person was looking right at him, a kind smile on their face. After a moment’s hesitation, Jeremy just shrugged in response and brought his glass to his lips to take a sip.

“Mind telling me about it? It might help,” the person continued.

Jeremy let out a sharp laugh and set his glass down harder than he meant to, making the other person jump a bit.

“No offense, but I can’t imagine you would ever even begin to understand anything I’m going through,” he muttered, eyes set straight forward.

The person was silent for a moment, then they let out a soft hum and nodded.

“If that’s the case, then maybe I could help take your mind off it?” they offered, then turned their body to fully face Jeremy and said, “my name is Miles, by the way.”

Jeremy glanced over to study Miles’s face. An uncomfortable feeling tugged in his gut, but he ignored it and took another sip of his whiskey.

“I’m Jeremy,” he responded after setting his glass down again.

Miles smiled, his eyes kind, then stood up out of his seat.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Jeremy. Care to take a walk with me? I’m not really sure of the severity of whatever your situation is, but fresh air could probably help you to feel a bit better,” he offered, holding out a hand for Jeremy to take.

Jeremy immediately pushed the hand away, shaking his head.

“I’m not interested, sorry.”

“Oh! I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry if it came across that way,” Miles said quickly, an apologetic look on his face. “I honestly just meant that we could take a walk to get some air, that’s all. I swear I don’t have any ulterior motive like that.”

Jeremy hesitated as he felt that tugging in his gut again, almost as if something Miles had said was slightly off. Quickly deciding that it was probably just the alcohol making him unnecessarily paranoid, he downed the rest of his drink and motioned for the bartender to give him his tab. After paying, he stood up and nodded to Miles.

“Alright, let’s go for a walk then. No ulterior motives,” he responded, and Miles gave him another smile in return.

“So, Jeremy, what do you do for a living?” Miles asked as they exited the bar together.

Jeremy shrugged.

“Nothing right now. I got laid off recently,” he lied casually, not yet feeling very willing to tell Miles much information about himself.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Miles said with a frown. “Can I ask why?”

Jeremy shrugged again.

“Why do you want to know?” he countered calmly.

Miles held his hands up in surrender.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry like that. You just seem like a really nice guy, so I was a little curious,” he replied apologetically.

“Nice guy? You barely know me,” Jeremy said, raising his eyebrows.

“That’s true, but you did agree to go on a walk with me for no real reason. You easily could’ve just told me to fuck off,” Miles chuckled.

“I kinda did tell you to fuck off at first,” Jeremy muttered.

“But you still ended up saying yes,” Miles responded with a casual shrug.

Jeremy just hummed in response and shoved his hands into his pockets, staring straight forward as they walked.

“So, are you dating anyone?” Miles inquired, then quickly added, “I’m not trying to flirt, I’m just curious.”

Jeremy frowned and let out a sigh.

“It’s complicated,” he muttered, then glanced around at their surroundings, suddenly noticing that they seemed to be in a rather concealed alley, and quickly questioned, “uh, Miles, where are we going?”

Miles raised his eyebrows in surprise at Jeremy’s suddenly extra guarded tone.

“I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention,” he replied with a small frown.

Jeremy furrowed his eyebrows, trying to stay calm and ignore the tugging sensation that seemed to be growing stronger by the second.

“You-you’re telling the truth, right?” he coughed, suddenly feeling his throat start to close up. “Fuck, Miles, t-tell me this isn’t some kind of trap.”

It’s just paranoia, he tried to tell himself, then broke out into a coughing fit and backed against the wall, clutching his side. 

“Are you okay?” Miles asked in a concerned voice, looking scared to step any closer.

“I-I’m- Fuck-” Jeremy stammered, then abruptly vomited on the ground. 

He fell to his knees as his vision blurred, gasping for breath. Suddenly, he heard Miles yell in surprise and glanced up to see someone throw him to the ground. A tall man was now standing over Miles, their foot placed directly on the center of his chest.

“W-Wait! Please! Don’t do this!” Miles begged the man, his eyes full of terror.

Though his gut seemed to be telling him not to, Jeremy tried to lunge forward to help Miles, but before he could do anything the tall man whipped out a knife and plunged it deep into Miles’s chest. Jeremy screamed and scrambled backwards, his chest seizing in fear. The tall man then turned to Jeremy and began to speak.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

“What the fuck??” Jeremy yelled, still panting heavily and trembling as he tried to get his breath back.

The man rolled his eyes and pointed to Miles’s body. Jeremy glanced over it quickly, then gasped at what was happening to it.

A dark gray color was spreading through the body and its veins were extra pronounced and inky black. As Jeremy watched, the color spread and deepened until it had covered the entire body. Suddenly, the skin began to crumble, breaking off into dust and falling to the ground. Jeremy watched in horror as it basically disintegrated, leaving nothing behind but a dark gray pile of dust and the other man’s knife. Once it had seemingly finished, the man picked up his knife, scrunching his nose in disgust as he wiped the blade off on his pant leg.

“What… Just happened?” Jeremy asked slowly, his voice shaking.

“I just saved your life, that’s what,” the tall man answered as he tucked his knife away, then held his hand out to help Jeremy up. “The name’s Alfredo. And if you’re wondering about why his body did that, I honestly couldn’t tell you. I’ve only seen it once before.”

Jeremy hesitated, staring at Alfredo’s hand and blinking heavily to try and steady his vision.

“How do I know I can trust you?” he questioned, a deep frown on his face.

Alfredo shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“I don’t know, man. Depending on where your loyalties lie you may not want to trust me at all, but I know nothing about you so I can’t really say what you should or shouldn’t believe,” he responded calmly.

As Jeremy processed his words, his vision finally came fully back into focus and the tugging feeling in his gut subsided, so he took Alfredo’s hand and allowed himself to be pulled back onto his feet. He blinked hard and put a hand on the wall to steady himself, his head throbbing.

“How did you know he was going to hurt me?” he murmured, massaging his temples gently with his fingertips.

“It’s hard to explain, but I can see things about people. Things that other people can’t see. I know that sounds really suspicious, but it’s true,” Alfredo explained.

Jeremy took a deep breath, thankful that he could breathe normally again.

“Alright, well, that’s definitely not the weirdest thing I’ve heard this week and you seem pretty honest, so I’ll accept it,” he decided, then added, “I’m Jeremy, by the way.”

Alfredo nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.

“You know anything about, well, y’know..?” he questioned awkwardly.

Jeremy raised his eyebrows.

“Magic?” he suggested.

“Yeah,” Alfredo confirmed, “I just didn’t want to outright say that in case you didn’t. I probably already seem crazy enough right now.”

Jeremy sighed and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

“I get it. And yes, I do know a little bit about it. Hardly anything, though. I know some guy that can control dreams and another guy that can control minds or something like that, and I know that magic doesn’t work on my friend and that the guy I think I’m in love with is cursed so we can never have a life together even if we wanted to. Oh, and apparently I can magically tell when people are lying to me. And that’s about it, I think,” he rambled, then glanced up at Alfredo to see his eyes were wide in surprise.

“Uh, that sounds complicated,” Alfredo replied, “and honestly that’s even more than I know. I just know that magic is real and that I can kinda see stuff like people’s intentions sometimes and I can see if someone is magical or not. That was how I knew that guy was dangerous. He was acting similarly to a siren. Like the mythological kind. Distracting you with thing you want to hear and leading you somewhere to hurt you. Speaking of that, if you can tell when someone is lying, how did you not know he was?”

Jeremy winced.

“Honestly, I think I did know, but I was ignoring it. Sometimes I get a little paranoid when I’m drunk, so I thought that might be the case. Not that I’m even very drunk right now, though, all I had was one glass of whiskey. But I felt it in my gut the whole time, I think.”

Alfredo nodded thoughtfully and questioned,

“And you’re sure you’re not very drunk? You aren’t acting like it, of course, but you did throw up pretty hard. It was nasty.”

“Definitely,” Jeremy answered, “so I have no idea why I got sick like that. I feel fine now, but for some reason I just started having a really hard time breathing and I got really nauseous.”

“Weird,” Alfredo murmured, then his eyes lit up and he said, “you should let me meet all your magical friends! I really want to learn more about magic.”

Jeremy frowned and scrunched his nose up.

“I honestly can’t promise anything. First of all, only one of them could really be considered my friend, and second of all, last time I saw them I kicked them all out of my apartment and I’m still pretty mad at them.”

“Oh, well then, uh,” Alfredo mumbled as he pulled out his phone, “can I at least give you my number to contact me? In case you make up with them and change your mind?”

Jeremy paused for a moment then nodded, feeling thankful that Alfredo seemed so genuine and that there was no uncomfortable tugging in his gut anymore. He pulled out his own phone and allowed Alfredo to type a number in, then did the same for Alfredo.

“I’ll keep you updated, okay? Thanks for helping me out,” he said.

Alfredo smiled and nodded.

“Thanks, and I’m glad to help,” he replied, then added, “oh, and trust your gut, man. Sometimes it’s the only thing you can believe.”

He walked away, leaving Jeremy alone in the alley with the dark pile of dust slowly being blown away with the breeze. Jeremy sank back to the ground and pulled his knees up to his chest, his body still trembling. He squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could, but now that no one else was around, nothing could stop the tears that were forcing their way out, and for the first time since he had moved there he found himself wondering if things would actually be better back home.


	9. Chapter 9

Jack glanced up as someone walked through the door into his shop. He inhaled sharply in surprise and the talisman in his hand slipped out and fell to the floor as his eyes focused on the masked figure in his doorway. The person in the mask let the door close behind them, then turned and flipped the shop’s open sign to say that it was closed.

“Y-You’re the Vagabond,” Geoff gasped from beside Jack.

The masked person stared at Geoff for a few moments, not answering, then walked toward the two men. He approached the counter and leaned forward, resting his hands on the edge and focusing his gaze on Jack.

“I need to speak with you,” he demanded, his voice cold and emotionless, then paused for a moment before adding, “alone.”

“About what?” Jack questioned carefully, trying to hide his fear.

“Nothing he needs to know about,” The Vagabond hissed, cocking his head toward Geoff.

“Hey, anything you say in front of Jack can be said in front of me too,” Geoff argued, his eyes narrowed.

The Vagabond shifted his gaze toward Geoff sharply.

“Shut up, Neophyte,” he spat.

Jack stood abruptly, gripping the edge of the counter angrily.

“Don’t you dare fucking call him that!” he snapped, teeth gritted in rage.

The Vagabond let out a cold laugh.

“Protective, are we?” he sneered, then his voice got serious as he continued, “meet me in your little magic shop so we can have our discussion.”

He spun around to walk toward the back of Jack’s shop without waiting for a response. Jack gave Geoff an apologetic expression, his eyebrows knitted together in worry, then went to follow the masked man. After one final worried glance at Geoff, Jack closed the door behind himself and turned to look at the Vagabond, who was leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed.

“What do you want? Are you here to hurt me?” Jack asked nervously, willing his voice not to shake.

“No, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m actually here to help you,” the Vagabond snapped, then pulled off his mask.

Jack swallowed anxiously as he studied the skull-like face paint on the man’s face.

“Why should I trust you? Why the hell would you ever help me?” he demanded.

The Vagabond rolled his eyes.

“Believe it or not, I’m on your side. I implore you to stop asking questions before I change my mind and cut your tongue off, though,” he replied in a bored voice. “I need you to deliver some messages for me.”

“What kind of-” Jack began, then quickly shut his mouth as he saw the Vagabond’s eyes narrow in warning.

“The questions can wait,” the Vagabond muttered. “Now, before I give you the messages, I need you to know that you must make sure no one besides the people receiving these messages knows that I spoke to you. If I find out someone else knows, then, well, you don’t want to know what the consequences will be, okay?”

“If you’re on my side, then why threaten me?” Jack questioned in annoyance, momentarily feeling slightly more brave.

Suddenly, a knife appeared in the Vagabond’s hand and was held up to Jack’s throat. Jack inhaled sharply, trying to keep himself from trembling as he stared fearfully into the Vagabond’s bright blue eyes.

“Just because I’m on your side doesn’t mean I trust you. There’s only one person I trust and it’s definitely not you,” the Vagabond hissed, then tucked his knife away and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. “Give this to the mendax. I don’t care how you do it, but make sure it gets to him. And don’t even think about reading it.”

Jack took the paper with a shaking hand.

“I-Is that all?” he said carefully.

“No, there’s one more thing. Tell the scholaris to stop looking for his girlfriend. She’s not as trustworthy as he thinks.”

Jack took a deep, trembling breath.

“Er, can I ask why you aren’t delivering these messages yourself?” he asked tensely, seemingly waiting for the Vagabond to pull the knife out again, but the Vagabond instead just sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples with his fingertips.

“God, you’re infuriating. The truth is, though, that the scholaris is more likely to believe it if it comes out of someone else’s mouth, and it would be difficult for me to speak with the mendax in person. Are you satisfied now or do you have any more annoying questions?”

Jack hesitated then shook his head. The Vagabond gave a nod before turning and walking out. After a few moments, Geoff entered and Jack collapsed into a chair, looking pale.

“What happened? Are you alright?” Geoff asked, placing a hand gently on Jack’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. That wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been,” Jack replied, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Geoff demanded, eyes searching Jack’s body for any sign of an injury.

Jack shook his head.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “I’m pissed off and kinda freaked out, but I’m fine.”

Geoff hesitated, then nodded. He was silent for a moment before quietly asking,

“Why were you so mad about him calling me a neophyte? It’s true, isn’t it? I’m new to magic, I barely know anything about it.”

Jack sighed and looked at Geoff, his eyes dark.

“Among magical people, it’s a really foul term. It’s usually used to refer to someone who is bad at their craft or who has magic and doesn’t know how to use it, but it’s condescending and belittling. For someone who didn’t even feel like he had much potential, it was just horrible. I doubt that he’s better than you in any way, even if he thinks he is,” he explained.

“But…” Geoff faltered slightly, then took a deep breath and continued, “how did he even know that I don’t know how to use magic?”

“I don’t know, Geoff. I’m sure we’ll get answers eventually, but for now I just don’t know,” Jack answered, shaking his head in frustration, then jumped in surprise as a knock started up on the other side of the door. 

Geoff stood up and, after a nod from Jack, slowly opened the door. On the other side was Trevor, who was running a hand through his hair with a troubled expression on his face. Jack frowned and motioned for him to enter, then said,

“Great timing, you just missed someone who left a message for you. What’s wrong?”

Trevor’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Who? What was the message?” he questioned.

“We’ll get to that later,” Jack muttered, “but first tell me what’s wrong.”

“Well, I think I just fucked everything up,” Trevor admitted, running his hand through his hair again. “The mendax is mad at everyone and I don’t know where the potential proditor is and I met the proeliator that was mentioned in the prophecy but he and the mendax got into a huge argument and everything just seems to be going wrong and-”

“Woah woah woah, slow down and take a breath. It’s gonna be fine,” Jack interrupted quickly. “If there is a prophecy, then it will come true.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused in my life,” Geoff mumbled and Jack patted him on the shoulder.

Trevor allowed himself to take a deep breath and nodded.

“Sorry, you’re right. I’m just freaking out. I really hate not knowing things.”

“Well, it’s in your blood to be naturally curious, so that makes sense. Try not to get too worked up, though,” Jack said calmly.

Trevor nodded again.

“So, what was that message and who was it from?”

Jack sighed and frowned, but before he managed to get a word out he was interrupted by Geoff blurting,

“It was the Vagabond! Do you know him or something? He was fucking terrifying.”

Jack glared at Geoff for a moment in annoyance, then looked back at Trevor, who looked surprised.

“That’s- he’s- I think that was the masked man from when I got kidnapped,” Trevor stammered. “He’s the potential proditor, but he claims he’s not actually a traitor so I don’t really know for sure.”

“That makes sense why he said you might not believe him. He said to tell you that you should stop looking for your girlfriend because she’s not as trustworthy as you think she is,” Jack replied.

Trevor’s expression quickly became grim.

“If he was telling the truth before, then it would make sense for him to know that, but… No, there’s no way she’s not trustworthy. I’ve known her for years and she’s never lied to me,” he muttered, sounding angry.

“Look, I’m not telling you what to believe, but you shouldn’t completely ignore it. If there’s a traitor in the prophecy, then it could be anyone,” Jack murmured.

“But-” Trevor began to argue, then faltered. “I just can’t even begin to believe that she would betray me.”

Jack frowned and nodded sympathetically.

“I know, and I’m not saying that she actually is the traitor. Just don’t remove it as a possibility.”

Trevor didn’t respond for a moment, then gritted his teeth before speaking.

“Did he say anything else?”

Jack nodded and held out the folded paper for Trevor to see.

“He said to give this to the mendax because it would be difficult to speak with him in person.”

“That’s weird,” Trevor said, knitting his eyebrows together. “Those two seemed to have some sort of relationship. I wonder what it says that would be so difficult to say in person.”

“Relationship, huh? Like a romantic relationship? Maybe it’s a breakup letter,” Geoff piped up.

“That’s possible. Why would the mendax even have a relationship with the Vagabond in the first place, though?” Jack wondered aloud.

Trevor shrugged.

“It’s dangerous, honestly. Gavin said that if his emotions are strong enough it could make it hard for him to tell if someone is telling the truth. We really should read that note to see what it says,” he replied.

Jack quickly shook his head.

“I know it seems like a good idea, but if the Vagabond finds out we read it, it could end really poorly for us. I think it would be a lot safer to not read it.”

Trevor hesitated, looking at the note with a conflicted expression, then sighed and said,

“Fine. We can wait a few days for the mendax to calm down and then deliver it. If you give it to me then I could bring it to him.”

“Absolutely not,” Jack snapped. “No offense, but you’re way too curious and thirsty for knowledge, so I don’t think you’d be able to keep yourself from reading it even if you tried. I’ll keep the note here until his emotions have settled.”

Trevor winced and nodded.

“Right. You’re right. Keep the note here. I’ll come back when I think everything has calmed down enough,” he agreed with some restraint.

“Good,” Jack replied. “I’ll see you then.”

Trevor nodded again, then walked out. Jack let out a deep sigh and slumped deeper into the chair as the door closed behind him.

“Man I feel fucking useless,” Geoff muttered.

Jack studied his face for moment before grabbing his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“You’re not useless. Though it might feel that way right now, once you figure out how to use your magic you’ll be quite powerful. I can just feel it. But for now, the most you can do is focus on learning more about magic so you can better understand what’s going on,” he assured him.

“I didn’t expect that criminal to know anything about magic,” Geoff responded. “I feel like everyone knows more than I do.”

“I didn’t expect that either,” Jack admitted, “I was pretty sure he was about to rob me at first. It’s pretty rare for a non-magical person to know about magic to the extent that he clearly did.”

“How did you know he didn’t have magic?” Geoff inquired curiously.

“You’ll probably learn soon how easy it is for most magical people to feel the potential on other people. He hardly had any,” Jack answered.

The two men fell silent for a few moments, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

“He seemed familiar,” Geoff muttered suddenly after a minute.

Jack looked at Geoff, studying his face carefully, then gave a short nod.

“Yeah, I thought so too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter than usual, I've been feeling sick a lot so it's been difficult for me to sit down and focus on writing. Hopefully that stops being an issue soon.


	10. Chapter 10

“What do you want? And who’s the guy with the beard?” Jeremy demanded.

Two men were standing in his doorway looking sheepish. Jeremy recognized one of them as the tall guy that had come to his apartment with Michael and Gavin a week or so ago and hadn’t trusted Ryan, but he had never seen the other before. But now, suddenly, they were at his door in the evening right before he was about to settle down to play some video games, and he wasn’t exactly happy to see them.

“Ah, I suppose you’re still mad. This is Jack. He’s just here to deliver a note for you,” Trevor said quickly.

Jack smiled apologetically at Jeremy and held out the note for him to take. Jeremy took it cautiously, keeping his eyes on Trevor. He then glanced down as he unfolded it and remained silent for a minute as he read the words on the paper.

“Well, I hope you’re fucking happy,” he whispered after a moment, his body completely still.

“What do you mean?” Trevor questioned.

Jeremy’s head shot up, his eyes filled with anger.

“Ryan is gone now. Go tell Michael, I’m sure he’ll be ecstatic,” he hissed, crushing the note in his fist, then slammed the door in Trevor and Jack’s faces.

“Well that didn’t seem to go well,” he heard Trevor mutter from behind the door, then there was a small pause before the footsteps wandered away.

Jeremy slid to the floor, his eyes blurring with tears as he read the note over and over again in his mind.

_Jeremy,_

_I’ve stayed here too long. I’m sorry. I have to go. I don’t know when or even if I’ll be back. Please don’t wait for me._

_-V_

It was short. It was far too short. It seemed wrong, somehow. Even though they hadn’t spent much time together, it seemed to make no sense for Ryan to just leave a note like that instead of saying it to him in person.

Maybe Jeremy had done something wrong. Maybe he was just mistaken about what he thought Ryan’s feelings for him were. Maybe Ryan hadn’t actually fallen for Jeremy in the way that Jeremy had fallen for Ryan.

He hadn’t even said goodbye.

The note was too short, just like the time that they had spent together. Maybe it was fitting. Maybe it had all been meaningless after all and Jeremy had just let his emotions get the best of him. Maybe he had just been foolish to think Ryan actually cared.

The note felt cold and uncaring. It was nothing like Jeremy had seen Ryan act while they were alone together. Jeremy had thought Ryan had shown him passion and care and maybe even love, but maybe it was all just a ruse. Ryan had broken down Jeremy’s walls and left him vulnerable and exposed. Jeremy had been willing to give everything and do anything for Ryan. But Ryan was gone now, and all he had left was a short, aloof note that seemed nothing like the Ryan that Jeremy had gotten to know.

It wasn’t right. Something seemed off about the whole situation. Ryan had been telling the truth before, Jeremy was sure he had. So why all of a sudden leave a note like that? It made no sense.

But then again, maybe Ryan had just changed his mind.

Jeremy suddenly scrambled out of the way as he felt his door start to open. He quickly wiped his face, hoping his eyes weren’t too red.

“You okay, buddy?” Michael asked gently, poking his head inside.

“Why the fuck are you here?” Jeremy snapped hoarsely, refusing to look at his friend.

“Gavin texted me that Trevor said you were upset about something so I came over as quickly as possible. Also, I, uh, I’m sorry about what I said before. Ryan clearly makes you really happy,” Michael replied quietly.

Jeremy held back a sob, gritting his teeth tightly.

“Yeah, well, he’s gone now, so it doesn’t really matter.”

Michael let out a soft ‘oh’ and slipped inside, sitting down next to Jeremy and pulling him into a hug. Jeremy stiffened but didn’t pull away. Michael said nothing when he felt Jeremy’s body shudder lightly from a sob after a minute or so, and the two sat like that in silence for a while.

“Can I ask what exactly happened?” Michael eventually spoke up with a gentle voice.

“He just left a fucking note. He couldn’t even say it in person,” Jeremy whispered with a pained voice. “I had it coming, didn’t I? You can say it, you told me so.”

Michael’s eyebrows knit together and he shook his head.

“I was more worried about him trying to rob or kill you. I didn’t think he would fucking break your heart like this,” he replied, clearly trying to keep himself from getting angry.

Jeremy turned his head to bury it in Michael’s chest, his body trembling as he tried to hold back tears again. Michael held him tighter and rubbed his back to try and give him any sort of comfort.

“I have to tell you something,” Jeremy eventually spoke once he had started to calm down, lifting his head to look at Michael’s face. “Something that I don’t think really has anything to do with this, but then again I don’t fucking know anything so maybe it does.”

“What is it?” Michael responded with a slightly concerned expression.

Jeremy took a deep, shaky breath before speaking.

“Last week, I met a guy at the bar. His name was Miles, I think. I was exhausted and a little drunk so I guess I ignored whenever he was lying to me and I ended up agreeing to go on a walk with him. He led me to a kinda concealed area and then another guy showed up and he-” Jeremy paused for a moment as a shudder ran through his body, then continued, “he killed Miles. But then the body just… Turned into dust.”

He stopped talking and glanced away from Michael, his face pale. Michael stared at him in confusion, unsure of what to say in response as he attempted to process what he had just heard.

“He… Turned into dust?” Michael repeated slowly.

Jeremy nodded in confirmation with a troubled expression.

“I was gonna ask Ryan if he knew anything about bodies disintegrating like that, but then he…” he trailed off and closed his eyes, taking another deep breath, then muttered, “I wish Gavin and Matt had never fucking found me. I don’t want to be a part of all of this shit.”

“Gavin’s not too bad,” Michael replied with a shrug, “but I do agree about not wanting to be a part of it.”

Jeremy scrunched his nose and turned his head to look back at Michael again.

“When did you get his number, anyway?” he questioned.

Michael shrugged again and answered,

“I talked to him for a while after you kicked everyone out of here. He’s kinda funny sometimes. Besides, considering I’m apparently being fucking forced by goddamn fate to protect him, I figured it was probably a good idea.”

Jeremy frowned and rubbed his face with his hands tiredly, dropping the crumpled note to the floor. He leaned back against Michael, who’s eyes moved toward the paper as it fell.

“Is that the note he left you?” Michael asked softly. “Do you mind if I look at it?”

Jeremy mumbled an incoherent response and shrugged. Taking that as a go ahead, Michael grabbed it and gently uncrumpled it, his eyebrows knitting together as he scanned the page. He shook his head in disbelief and clicked his tongue once. Jeremy sniffled and rubbed his face again.

“He was so cold about it,” he murmured.

Michael hesitated, reading over the note once again.

“Jeremy, this is… Who did you get this note from? Did you just find it or did someone bring it to you?” he demanded.

Jeremy glanced up in surprise.

“Huh? It was some dude with a beard and that tall guy who recognized Ryan before. Why?” he responded with a frown.

Michael stood up abruptly, causing Jeremy to tip and fall over. Jeremy let out a whine and looked at Michael in confusion. After opening the door, Michael paused for a moment to look back at Jeremy.

“I have to go, but I’ll see you later, okay?” he assured with a gentle smile, then slipped out through the doorway.

Jeremy frowned as the door closed behind his friend, then sat back up and rubbed his face with his hands, letting out a deep sigh as he did so. He instinctively glanced over to the chair that Ryan’s jacket had been draped over and realized with a shock that it was still there. Without even a moment’s hesitation, he scrambled over to the chair to snatch the jacket up and pulled it close to himself.

 _I’m pathetic,_ he thought miserably. _Why did I even think he actually liked me in the first place?_

He turned around to lean his back against the chair and closed his eyes tightly. Exhaustion hit him as he held tightly to the jacket, afraid to let go of it. It almost felt like if he were to lose the jacket he would be losing his last connection to Ryan, and he wasn’t sure if he could handle that.

…

_Jeremy heard the door to his apartment open. Figuring it was just Michael returning from wherever he had run off to, he didn’t bother opening his eyes. The gentle hand on his shoulder told him otherwise, however, and his head snapped up to see the one person he wanted to see more than anyone else._

_“Ryan!” he cried happily and threw himself into the arms of the man in front of him. “I knew you would come back! I knew something was weird about that note!”_

_He could feel tears start to stream down his face, but he didn’t care. He buried his face into Ryan’s chest and sobbed, feeling happier than ever._

_“I’m so sorry,” Ryan replied, gently prying Jeremy off of him. “I told you, I’ve spent too long here. I can’t stay. I can never stay.”_

_“What do you mean you can’t stay?” Jeremy whined, his shoulders dropping as he looked into Ryan’s eyes._

_“I’m sorry, Jeremy. I’m so so sorry. You don’t have to forgive me, and I understand if you don’t,” Ryan whispered._

_Jeremy shook his head rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation._

_“You’re lying, Ryan! Tell me you’re lying!”_

_Ryan gently placed his palm against Jeremy’s cheek and a tear trickled from his eye. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and pained and Jeremy felt as though his heart was being ripped from his chest._

_“It won’t matter soon, anyway. You’ll forget me just like everyone else does, and it’ll be like none of this ever happened.”_

_“I won’t forget you!” Jeremy argued. “How could you ever think that?”_

_Ryan smiled sadly and pressed his forehead against Jeremy’s._

_“Everyone forgets me eventually. I wish I could say you’ll be an exception, but I know better than to underestimate this situation,” he murmured._

_“What do you mean?” Jeremy begged, grabbing desperate fistfuls of Ryan’s shirt in a weak attempt to stop him from being able to leave._

_Ryan shook his head and gently pulled his shirt from Jeremy’s hands, then picked up his jacket from where it lay on Jeremy’s lap. He stood up, ignoring Jeremy’s protests, and turned to walk back through the door in which he had entered._

_“You’ll forget me,” he said softly without turning back around to face Jeremy, “but I’ll never forget you. I love you, Jeremy.”_

_“I love you, too,” Jeremy whispered as Ryan exited, shutting the door gently behind him._

…

Jeremy’s eyes snapped open and he shot up from where he had been slumped over, having accidentally fallen asleep. He glanced around the room, breathing hard, then quickly scanned his surrounding area.

The jacket.

Ryan’s jacket was gone. Jeremy gasped and looked around again, then checked under the chair, then behind the chair, then under the cushion just in case. It was nowhere to be seen.

Had the dream been real? It couldn’t be. All that nonsense about forgetting Ryan… It wasn’t possible. He could never forget Ryan, even if his life depended on it.

God, he hoped his life didn’t depend on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize once again for the longer wait, I've had a hard time lately finding time and motivation to write.


End file.
